


All Things Loved and Cared For

by kuroeko



Category: Inazuma Eleven
Genre: F/F, F/M, Food, M/M, Slice of Life, afufubu main ship, its a fluffy countryside farming fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:27:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 63,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26672143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuroeko/pseuds/kuroeko
Summary: An unconscious, freezing to death angel appears on your garden path in the middle of a snowstorm! What do you do?→Ignore it→Step on it (by accident)→Stare at it (with worry)→Take it indoors for now, I guess...(and so it begins)
Relationships: Afuro Terumi | Aphrodi/Fubuki Shirou, Endou Mamoru/Rococo Urupa, Ichinose Kazuya/Kino Aki, Kazemaru Ichirouta/Miyasaka Ryou, Tachimukai Yuuki/Tsunami Jousuke, Urabe Rika/Zaizen Touko
Comments: 18
Kudos: 28





	1. cabbages

**Author's Note:**

> Essentially a very self indulgent fic that centers around cooking and the countryside. I love cooking, and inadvertently spent a lot of time on food descriptions in this fic. This is a more idyllic view of the countryside as I based it off of my rural Taiwan life and conveniently ignored many other aspects such as bugs (so many, lord, my aim with a sandal is unparalleled) or monsoon season.
> 
> The title is a parody off of a series I love dearly and would recommend to anyone:  
> All Creatures Great and Small by [ James Herriot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Herriot).  
> Taking inspiration from lines from the hymn [ All Things Bright and Beautiful](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Things_Bright_and_Beautiful).  
> In short summation it is about the life of a countryside vet and all the characters he meets and everything he experiences. Quite the same feelings as this fic, if I may hope to even write a fraction as well as James Herriot.
> 
> Thank you to [Enkidudu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enkidudu) for beta!
> 
> Another friend described this fic as the equivalent of one of those 9 hour country sound ASMR Youtube videos. I'm not letting that comment go so everyone gets to see it now.

A clay pot rattled on the stove while Fubuki carefully prepared the hot pot ingredients he had gathered. Truthfully, it wasn’t really hot pot when only one person was going to eat it. He planned to just shove in all the ingredients at once when the soup stock was ready. Wind howled outside, rattling the thin windows and indicating the severity of the ongoing blizzard. Winter in the Hokkaido countryside was like this every year. Nothing unusual for Fubuki, who continued cutting the small chunk of tofu he’d received today. Hot pot hadn’t been on his list of dinner options tonight, but when randomly given some seafood and tofu by Tsunami, he’d changed his plans. 

Some steam escaped from under the pot lid, clattering on the side as he went to search the fridge for some vegetables to add to the mix. Sifting through the bursting fridge, he moved past all the vegetables gifted by his neighbors in search of a particular one. 

“Did I eat it all?” Scratching his silver hair, Fubuki closed the fridge door and stood straight up, finally glancing out through the dark windows. Flecks of white rushed by and caught on the windowsill, piling up until parts of the glass was obscured. Staring at the boiling pot of stock, Fubuki figured he still had a few more minutes before it was ready. Enough time to run outside and grab a cabbage from his field.

Grabbing a loose down jacket from next to the backdoor, Fubuki tossed it on and shoved on some snow boots. He glanced back to check the stove one last time, then forged out into the blinding white storm. The Hokkaido native didn’t even bother to zip up his jacket, pushing ahead through the soft snow that had piled up over the last few hours. It was only Saturday, so he wasn’t going to bother shoveling any of it until Monday morning when he had to go to work. 

Lost in thought as to the best way to dig out his car from under all the snow later, his foot suddenly made contact with something soft and caused him to trip over a large lump. 

“Wh-!” Fubuki crashed down into the icy fluff, cheeks stinging from the sudden cold impact. Hands shooting out to brace his fall, he accidentally grabbed whatever was underneath and felt wet feathers. 

_Oh god. Did some goose die here?! Right in the middle of my garden path??_ He frantically dug aside the snow cover, trying to see what was underneath through the blizzard that was still howling around him. He stopped in surprise upon seeing the size of the wet and bent white feathers on what could only be a very large goose. Fubuki carefully moved aside the wing, when he suddenly spied pale human skin underneath.

_What._

The confused cabbage-seeker glanced around, then casually put the wing back over the body. 

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t see that.” Fubuki muttered to himself as he skirted around the creature. “It’ll be gone when I come back, I’m sure I’m hallucinating because I’m hungry.” Robotically heading over to his small garden, Fubuki undid the knife on his belt and bent down to dig through the snow. His fingers caught on wet, sturdy leaves which indicated that a cabbage was below. Brushing aside some ice that had formed at the bottom, he carefully cut through the stalk, then hefted it under his arm to bring back inside. His previous steps were already being filled in by the unrelenting blizzard and led him to accidentally kick the same figure again. Standing in the cold wind, staring down at the rumpled feathers, Fubuki felt a pang of guilt in his heart. 

_I’ve kicked it twice now...nothing deserves to die alone with the cold…_ Pushing the last thought out of his mind and the memories that came with it, he hurried back inside and dropped the cabbage at the backdoor. Fubuki turned off the stove, figuring that soup stock could only get better the longer it sat, then grabbed a snow shovel and went back outside. Carefully working around the bedraggled body, he scraped aside the snow and managed to reveal some long golden hair. He used the snow shovel to prop open his back door, then went back to grab the shoulders of the...winged person. He stared for a moment as the feathers moved along with the body he dragged up, having thought it was only an odd jacket or covering. 

The body was light, scarily light, and Fubuki managed to get it through the door. Looking around his darkened house, he hoisted the cold body up again and brought it into the living room. A quick tug on the lamp string had the old halogen light flickering on and casting a yellow sheen over everything. He carefully set down the body, then finally stepped back to take a good look at what he had brought in. A girl? Boy? Fubuki wasn’t sure...but the chest was really flat...probably boy. A thin white shift was all this person had on, and it was slightly soaked through from all the snow. Kneeling down to check if he had to change out the shift, Fubuki noticed the chest slowly rising and falling.

 _They’re alive!_ With that fact, he ran to the bathroom to grab some towels and began bundling the pale figure. Trying to work the towels over the poor thing’s back proved difficult as the wings were really connected to the shoulder blades. 

_A tengu?_ Fubuki could only think of such a yokai, but this one seemed sort of...different. It may be a stereotype, but Fubuki had expected yokai to wear traditional clothing, not a long white t-shirt. _I should at least treat it with respect,_ he figured while retrieving a small space heater. The last thing he did after bringing over every heat source in the house was to wrap the poor thing in every blanket he could find, then spread out the long wet hair over a towel to dry off. 

“Hopefully that’ll warm you up.” Stomach rumbling, Fubuki surveyed the newly created blanket burrito in front of him, then went back to finish cooking dinner. The cabbage was lying abandoned in the doorway and he retrieved it to resume prep. Thoughts jumbled through his head, mostly about how long it would take to drive to the closest hospital and if they’d treat yokai. His pot nearly boiled over twice, forcing Fubuki to stop worrying and focus on the task at hand. 

Adding in the vegetables, Fubuki picked up the pot and brought it over to the kotatsu he had prepared before all this had happened. The blanket bundle still hadn’t moved, but a quick check of some slowly drying strands of gold hair let him know that the heat was working. Moving around the kitchen, he began to bring back just one bowl, then turned around and assembled another set of dinnerware. 

“I wonder if yokai will eat this….” He carefully set aside a second portion, scooting it closer to the unconscious figure. Steam wafted off of the bowl, making Fubuki aware of just how cold it was in the small traditional-style house. There was no central heating here, and the one space heater he’d shoved next to the recovering body was all he had. Fubuki rubbed his forehead, then began to eat while keeping a wary eye on the blankets. Nothing changed, and soon he relaxed a bit more and started on a second bowl. 

“If it doesn’t wake up by tomorrow, maybe I’ll light some incense,” he spoke aloud to himself, used to doing so after living alone for so long. It was nice to hear a voice in these empty rooms once in a while, even if it was just his own. A buzz from his phone interrupted his thoughts. Upon checking the screen, he saw that Tsunami had sent over a photo of himself and Tachimukai eating seafood hotpot for dinner. Fubuki held up his phone to take a picture of his own hot pot to share when the blanket mound suddenly heaved to the side. 

“AGH.” The blanket monster evidently could speak, and gave off a very rough series of coughs. Fubuki rushed out of the kotatsu, then stood awkwardly on the side as a mess of feathers and long hair knotted together with the blankets rose up. The being struggled for a moment, then looked up at him. Bright red eyes framed by delicate gold eyelashes blinked, then suddenly teared up.

“Helpppppp I’m stuck…”

Not the first words Fubuki was expecting, but understandable given the situation.

“Ok, ok hold on. Let me help.” He cautiously reached over and began unwrapping some of the thinner blankets that had gotten wrapped around the large white wings. It proved to be difficult as the victim kept flailing.

“Stop flapping!” Fubuki snapped, his patience having run out after being hit in the face with a hollow bone for the third time. 

“Sorry,” came a sheepish reply.

Evidently, the yokai gave up on trying to help themselves and just limply laid there, waiting for him to finish unwrapping the unwanted package. The shift was still wet, but at least it wasn’t a cold wet now. Fubuki left a blanket draped over the wings, not wanting even a yokai to accidentally catch a chill.

“Alright, you’re OK now...are you hungry?” Fubuki was trying to be cautious around this being, not really knowing what to expect. 

“Hungry??” Crimson eyes caught on the lukewarm bowl of hot pot in front of him. “Ohhhhh.”

“If you’d like...that’s for you.” He didn’t need to say much more, as the yokai reached over to pick up the bowl. A struggle with chopsticks ensued, and Fubuki went to retrieve a spoon that proved more conducive to use. As the strange winged person ate, Fubuki observed to try and spot any other yokai things. Normal human feet...human hands...human body. The only really unusual thing was the blonde hair and large set of white rundown wings. 

“Oh...do you want some more?” Fubuki took the almost empty bowl back and scooped in some more. Hot pot for two...unexpected, but it was sort of nice. 

“Do you...have a name?” Handing back the bowl of food, he decided to try learning a bit about this creature.

“Aphrodi.” A short reply that preceded the bowl being snatched out of his hands.

“Your name’s Aphrodi?”

“Yeah, that’s what I just said.” 

_Surprisingly mouthy..._ Fubuki decided to take this all in stride. 

“How are you feeling?” 

“Cold. Wet.” 

“Sorry, I don’t have more than that space heater…” He weakly gestured to the tiny electric heater that was puttering away on the side. “I’m...surprised you’re so lively, after being buried in snow.”

“It’s OK, I can’t die that easily,” Aphrodi callously replied. “Unless God wills it, I’m fine.”

“God?” Not something Fubuki had expected a yokai to say.

“Yeah. My boss.” Aphrodi finished the second bowl, then looked around the small wooden room. Worn tatami mats covered the floor, brown already from age. A half-open sliding door gave him a peek at the empty closet within where only a few thin blankets were neatly folded on the shelf. Evidently, he was sitting on or wrapped in the rest. His biggest clue, however, was the kotatsu that was in the middle of the room. Eyes widening, Aphrodi shook off the blanket on his wings and scooted over to it after putting down his bowl.

“Is this...a kotatsu?!”

“Yes?” Fubuki wasn’t sure why a yokai wouldn’t know what a kotatsu was. Maybe this was a really ancient one.

“Ahhh! I’ve always wanted to try one.” With that, Aphrodi stuck himself in, feathers knocking into the wooden table and narrowly avoiding the half-full hot pot on top. Finished settling in, only his shoulders and head poked out from under the blue checkered cloth. He shuffled his wings again, then looked up at his unwilling host. 

“I’m going to guess, is this Japan?”

“Yes?!” Fubuki was truly confused at this statement. Of course this was Japan, and how would a yokai not know this, unless….

“Are you not from Japan?” He cautiously asked.

“Nope! But I’ve always wanted to visit!! This is nice. I guess I accidentally ended up here, huh.” Aphrodi crossed his arms on the floor in front of him, then rested his chin on it, eyes darting around the room and taking it all in. 

“Wait,” Fubuki needed a minute to process all this. “What are you?” This time it was Aphrodi’s turn to be confused. He stared at Fubuki for a moment, then huffed.

“I can’t believe you don’t know. I’m an angel, of course!”

“An _angel_ ?” It took everything in him to not glance at the shrine that was currently in the room over. How Aphrodi was not disintegrating upon touching his very non-Christian home, he didn’t know. Angels were not part of his religion, and all his knowledge about them was from popular culture. 

_I suppose he does look like one of those Christmas decorations…_ flashy, white clothes and wings, but no halo…

“No halo?” Fubuki volunteered.

“I’m on sabbatical so I left my halo behind. I wanted to blend in with the humans!” Aphrodi protested. “Since this is more like a vacation, I figured it was too much if I wanted to be treated the same.” The angel fluffed his bedraggled wings while speaking, bumping them against the bottom of the kotatsu again. Fubuki wasn’t sure if Aphrodi was being serious, seeing as the giant white wings were a bit of a non-human giveaway here.

“I see, um, where were you heading to for vacation?”

“I don’t know. I just sorta jumped in a jetstream. I really wanted a vacation so I didn’t put a lot of thought into it.” 

“I see.” Fubuki repeated again, despite really not seeing nor understanding. “And how long is your...sabbatical?” He wasn’t quite familiar with this term, resolving to look it up later. For now he assumed it was like a vacation.

“A century? I think that’s how long mine’s have been saved up.” 

“A century.”

“You sure like to repeat what I say,” Aphrodi teased. Fubuki reddened a bit in response, unsure of how to handle this capricious angel. 

“This is really warm and comfy,” he noted while snuggling further into the kotatsu. “Would you mind if I stayed here for now? I’ve always wanted to try out Japan.”

“I-” Fubuki wasn’t sure what the protocol for rejecting an angel sent from heaven was. Sure, this wasn’t his religion, but seeing the manifestation of something he didn’t believe in snuggle under his kotatsu was doing a number on his beliefs. Any sort of reply from him was lost on the problem, however, as Aphrodi’s eyes had fluttered shut and he had fallen asleep. Fubuki stared for a bit longer, then got up and pushed a blanket against the sleeping face. Satisfied, he capped the now-cooled clay pot and then placed the leftovers in the fridge. 

_I’ll deal with this tomorrow morning,_ Fubuki thought to himself as he went to draw a bath. While running the water, he remembered that the living room light was still on and went back to turn it off. Aphrodi was still fast asleep, making Fubuki wonder if angels had to sleep as much as humans did. A harsh click of the string, and only the light from the bathroom remained. Even in the dark, the little bit of light reflecting off of the hallway walls brushed against the muted gold of the angel’s hair. He stared for a bit longer, then turned and carefully shut the sliding door after himself before heading off to take a bath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Kotatsu ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kotatsu)\- A wonderful invention. Like a heated table with a blanket for one to meld into for hibernation and emerge when warmth is available outside again.


	2. bird seed

Three days later, Fubuki still hadn’t been able to give a reply to Aphrodi. The problem was that the angel was still asleep under the kotatsu. At first, Fubuki had cautiously left the kotatsu running in fear that the unwanted guest would succumb to the cold again. After a day, however, Fubuki was starting to worry about his power bill so he unplugged it and stuffed some more blankets underneath. Aphrodi continued sleeping, so luckily it seemed to make no difference whether the heat was on or not. 

Unsure of how to treat a recovering angel, Fubuki ended up leaving a pack of crackers and a glass of water next to Aphrodi when he went to work. Worry consumed him as he drove along the freshly-plowed roads. Snow was still pouring down from above, but he was so used to the route that he didn’t bother using windshield wipers. Continuing on autopilot, he quickly pulled into his usual parking spot next to the small office building and parked. 

“Good morning,” Fubuki called a greeting as he shook off his coat, then hung it up on the coat rack by the door. A scattered office greeted him, it seemed like most of his coworkers still hadn’t gotten coffee yet. Aki was the only one who seemed completely awake and happily waved at him.

“Morning, Fubuki! We got the brochure samples today!” She got up from her desk and came over to show him a stack of folded brochures. Different paper weights and styles were detailed on each one, showcasing what the printing company could do.

“Oh, this is great.” He pulled out one that had gold embossed on it, along with thicker fibers in the paper. “This one’s probably expensive, huh…”

“Maybe...but I think we don’t need something that outlandish. Probably a normal brochure is fine, maybe with some gloss?” Aki held out a simpler brochure that had shapes printed and glossed over. The paper weight was medium, too, something Fubuki noted would hold up in the hands of tourists. 

“Ah, you two youngsters are so lively in the morning,” a gruff voice interrupted their discussion. Turning, Fubuki saw his boss clutching a large mug of coffee.

“Hibiki, good morning.” Fubuki gave a polite bow, and Aki beamed a smile at their stern but kind boss. “Sorry if we were a bit loud.”

“No, it’s fine, it’s nice to have some fresh blood in this old office,” Hibiki replied, taking a long sip of his coffee. “Is this about the new brochure samples?”

“Yes! We’re about ready to print the revamped brochure that Fubuki and I put together. Hopefully this will increase the tourism we get in this area,” Aki eagerly showed their boss the paper samples. “Lately we’ve been trying to work on the website as well, to try and draw attention to our town.”

“Sounds great, I’m glad you two have so many good ideas to work on,” Hibiki encouraged them. “Let me know if you need any help, or if you want someone else assigned to your team to assist.”

“Will do!” 

As Aki answered, Fubuki managed to move to his desk. He moved aside some papers that had found their way to him overnight, then powered up the desktop computer. This was an older office, and his computer counted as new technology despite having been here when he was first hired. The sound of papers rustling and morning greetings echoed through the office space, bringing a small smile to Fubuki’s lips. There weren’t too many office jobs in this little town, but he hadn’t wanted to move away from his childhood home and found that government work wasn’t bad. 

Clicking through the morning emails (a grand total of two, and one was spam), he began checking over the website he had been building. The town consisted mostly of farmers, but as the general populace was aging there was now a big push to draw in outsiders. Preferably young folk interested in farming. Aki and Fubuki, being the only young employees, were tasked with making their humble town appeal to the rest of Japan and the world. Not very easy, but Aki had enough enthusiasm to make up for their lack of knowledge. 

Lunchtime quickly rolled around and Fubuki took the time to pop in some quick Google searches. He didn’t have a computer at home, so this was mostly for efficiency’s sake as researching on a phone wasn’t easy. He’d spent yesterday reading up on angels and had found all of the sites to be very descriptive on how holy, kind, all-knowing creatures angels were. Fubuki found that to be a hard contrast with his impression of Aphrodi. Today, he was checking on sleep cycles of birds when a shadow fell over his shoulder.

“Did you get a pet bird?” Aki’s peppy voice interrupted his thoughts as she leaned over to look at his screen.

“A-ah. Um, sort of?” _More like an unwanted feral bird person…._

“Aww how cute! Did you have to go out of town to get one? There’s no pet shops here. Actually I wonder if we’d get more people if we had a pet shop here, or a town mascot…”

“A town mascot sounds more feasible,” Fubuki answered, “but no, I sort of...picked it up. It’s been sleeping a lot so I’m wondering if that’s normal.”

“Oh, that doesn’t sound very good,” Aki noted as she tapped her chin. “What type of bird is it?”

“Um. I’m not sure, that’s why I’m looking things up,” Fubuki hastily tried to avoid giving hard facts. “But I think with some rest and food it’ll get better and can fly away soon.” _I really hope._

“In this weather, though…” she gazed out through the window at the wash of white outside. It hadn’t stopped snowing for days now. 

“...yeah, well, maybe it’s a hardy bird that can fly through blizzards!” Fubuki tried to put some pep in his voice and utterly failed. 

“Well, I’d love to see it! Maybe take some pictures and show me when it’s better,” Aki enthused. Fubuki was normally quite reserved, and she was happy he was starting to branch out by getting a pet. Some liveliness in his life wouldn’t hurt.

“What color is it?” She wondered what Fubuki had gone for.

“White…,” Fubuki thought back to those wet and bent feathers he had grabbed. “...pure white.”

\---

By the time Fubuki pulled back into his driveway, he’d learned an unnecessary amount of bird facts. None of which really helped his situation. It wasn’t as if there was a site for angel care facts. In truth, most people were _trying_ to become angels, not take care of one. Making his way through the wind and snow, he pushed open the door and immediately noticed that the living room door was slid open. His door had been locked so….

No sound could be heard through the house, but upon peeking into the living room he saw that the water was partially gone and only an empty cracker wrapper remained. It seemed like the angel had gone on a little trip around the house, seeing how a blanket was missing from the pile and feathers were scattered everywhere. Following the obvious trail, his heart began to beat faster as he moved past the different rooms to the one on the very end - his room. The door was half-open, and he carefully slid it to the side to find the culprit of all the mess snuggled inside his futon. 

“Hey.” Fubuki knelt down next to the still-sleeping angel. He stared for a moment, then saw that the breathing was far too fast for someone actually sleeping. Fubuki sighed, then reached over and roughly shook the feigning angel awake.

“Owwww is this how you treat an injured guest?” Aphrodi complained as he batted off Fubuki’s hand. 

“You’re not my guest.” Fubuki evenly replied. 

“Wh-rude!” Aphrodi pulled the futon further up past his shoulders again. “Gah it’s so cold here, how do you live like this, are you wearing just a SHIRT?”

“I’m used to it. Now explain, you said you were injured?”

“My _heart_ is, since you’re being so mean to me,” pouting lips accompanied this reply. 

“Is there like, an angel hotline I can call or something? An emergency line to get someone to pick you up and take you home?” Fubuki tried a different tactic.

“Oh no, no. I don’t want anyone to know I’m down here,” Aphrodi was slowly drawing up the blanket over his head now. “If I’m in Japan I totally didn’t get the right visa papers. I’d be in so much trouble.”

“That’s even better. How do I contact your authorities?” Fubuki took out his phone to check if this was something that the internet would know, but found it knocked out of his hand by a wing.

“Hey! Are you _trying_ to get me in trouble?!” Aphrodi asked in disbelief. “Look. I’m actually quite helpful, OK? Not a lot of people get to ever see an angel, and even less get one assigned one-on-one to them! Nowadays it’s all ‘oh I’m sure you can handle a roster of 400 people’ like, excuse me? There’s only 365 days to a year. But with _me_ here, you can get your own guardian angel 24/7 for quite a while.” 

“First of all—” Fubuki tried to get some words in edgewise. “I’m not Christian or anything remotely near there. So we don’t have guardian angels, and I really don’t need one.”

“No, no, it’s all good. Doesn’t matter what religion you are, I’m on sabbatical so I get to pick my own client now.” The self-important angel fluffed up his feathers, looking quite pleased at himself. “I suppose you could call me a freelancing angel.”

“Are you just going to ignore the wrong religion thing?”

“It’s OK! I’ll count it as part of my sabbatical research. And don’t worry I’m not going to try to convert you. I’m just going to try to help.” Aphrodi propped his hands under his chin, then fluttered his charming lashes at the exasperated country boy. 

“Look.” He reached forward and then ran a finger under Fubuki’s eye. “You totally don’t look healthy. You look sort of depressed, actually, I can sort of tell with how dark it is around you. I can listen and help!”

“It’s dark around me _because the light isn’t on_.” Fubuki replied, flustered as he reached up to click the string. Yellow flickered against the walls again and a dull buzz filled the room from the lamp. He sighed, then stood up.

“I’m _not_ depressed-”

“You only have one space heater.”

“That is _not_ an indication of depression, it’s called getting used to the climate and lowering my power bill. I do not need your help, and you look good enough that you can flap off and leave now.”

“I totally can’t just do that, see?” Aphrodi hesitated, then sat up from the futon, letting his wings spread out into the open. One wing opened beautifully, ruffled white feathers stretching forward and grazing against the tatami mats on the floor. The other one stuck out at an awkward angle, and Aphrodi winced when he tried to push it further open.

“My wing’s broken,” he sadly noted. “I suppose I wasn’t as hardy as I thought.”

“D-does it hurt?!” Fubuki asked, shocked that Aphrodi was so calm about this.

“No. Well. It’s sort of a dull ache, but it’ll take some time to heal.” His wings closed back up and settled neatly against his back where he reshuffled them again. “Don’t worry about it.”

“I am worried about it,” Fubuki replied, trying to figure out who could treat this. There was one vet around here that took care of all the livestock and pet needs in town...Kidou…. Would he treat an angel? How was Fubuki going to explain _this_.

“It’ll heal!” Aphrodi protested. “I just gotta rest it a bit.”

“What if it heals wrong? That looks like such a bad angle.”

“I guess just break it and heal it again?”

“Was the last time you came to Earth in the Dark Ages?!” Fubuki resolved to get this angel some medical care, even if he was going to get labeled as an absolute weirdo. Kidou at least was someone who could keep secrets, and it wasn’t as if Fubuki didn’t have a weird enough reputation around town already. Losing your whole family early on sort of sticks with you.

“You’re so mean,” Aphrodi whispered while drawing the blankets back over him again. “I’m going back to sleep. I like these blankets a lot more, can’t believe you were hiding them from me.”

“It’s my _bed_ . It’s called a futon.” Fubuki tried to tug the blankets back down. “And as I said, this is _my_ bed.” Seeing as how this wasn’t working, he sighed and went back down the hallway. Some rummaging and sneezing from excess dust later, he came back with another futon. 

“Here.” He laid it out next to the one Aphrodi was in. “You can use this one.” Ironically, the patterning of the accompanying blanket was red and gold with small stylized Japanese cranes on it, matching the angel perfectly. 

“Mmmm but...that one’s cold,” Aphrodi replied, peeking at it. Red eyes blinked a few times, then a hand reached over and flipped it open. “It’s pretty, though.” With that, the huddled angel made the leap and switched over, shivering a bit as he resettled in the new futon. Fubuki noted that Aphrodi seemed to be easily swayed by surficial values. The aforementioned problem curled up again, then went back to sleeping. Helpless, Fubuki ended up leaving his room to grab a broom and sweep up the stray feathers all over the house. 

\---

“Otonashi speaking! Kidou Veterinary Practice, how may I help you?” 

Fubuki had spent the better part of the night trying to figure out what to do. Aphrodi hadn’t woken up again and Fubuki had laid awake staring at the sleeping figure. The wing had been at such an odd angle. He wondered if Aphrodi was trying to sleep off the pain. Either way, that wasn’t going to heal on its own. But how was he going to explain this to Kidou? Would Kidou even know how to treat this? Now, he found himself on the phone during lunch break to see what he could do.

“Ah, Haruna. Hello, this is Fubuki.”

“Oh! Fubuki! How are you?” Her sunny voice blared through the speaker, causing Fubuki to have to hold his phone a slight distance away from his ear. 

“I’m doing well, um, is Kidou here?”

“Kidou? Yeah, you’re in luck! He’s actually in right now, just got back from a morning trip to Gouenji’s farm. Would you like to speak to him?”

“Yes, please.”

“One moment - KIDOU!” 

Fubuki held the phone at arms length for a moment, then brought it back after his eardrums had stopped throbbing. 

“Fubuki. You do have my cell number.” A familiar male voice came through the speaker.

“Everyone in this town has each other’s number,” Fubuki replied with a wry smile. “I went through Haruna because this isn’t just a greeting call.”

“Oh?” He could hear the surprise in Kidou’s voice. “A pet? I didn’t know you got one.”

“Yeah it’s...sort of complicated. I was wondering if you’d mind doing a house call. It’s sort of...a bird. With a broken wing.”

“What type of bird?”

“I don’t know, but it’s really big and I can’t move it easily.” Fubuki chickened out from telling the whole story over the phone. He wasn’t sure who might be listening.

“...alright, I do have some time this weekend, how does Saturday sound?” 

“That’s fine, and I’ll be home then, but isn’t it the weekend?”

“Vets don’t get weekends, I’ll see you then. Is 7 AM a good time?”

“Sure, but if you want to sleep in-”

“I wake up at 5 AM every day, it doesn’t matter. But thanks for your concern, Fubuki. I’ll see you on Saturday.” Truthfully, Fubuki wanted to sleep in but he couldn’t say no to his busy friend. 

“See you then…” Upon hearing the dial tone, Fubuki stared at his phone for a bit longer before hanging up. He’d just have to keep Aphrodi from getting into any trouble before Saturday. Turning, he went back to his desk to find Aki and Hibiki deep in conversation.

“—electronics recycling around here?”

“Yes, I just bought a new TV and need to get rid of my old one,” Aki replied with a sigh. “Although it might be hard right now with all the snow. No big trucks are running through here.”

“I don’t think there’s a drop off point in this town. The closest one is in the town over.” Hibiki replied as he rubbed his beard. Seeing Fubuki move to sit down, he waved the quiet boy over. 

“Fubuki, you don’t have a TV right? Why don’t you take Aki’s old TV?”

“Huh?” Fubuki stared at the two of them for a bit, confused as to how he got caught up in this. His mind had been on how to explain an angel to a vet.

“It still works!” Aki tacked on, “I can’t believe you still don’t have a TV. I’ll give you mine for free if you come pick it up.”

“Oh I don’t really need one though…” he began to protest, but could tell he’d already lost when Aki put a sympathetic hand on his arm. 

“Look, you can even watch snowboard tournaments on the sports channel, OK? I think everyone needs a TV! I’m free this weekend so drop by anytime! Or after work is fine, too.” Fubuki gave up, seeing that there was no way around it.

“I’ll come on Sunday...I’m a bit busy Saturday.” The returning stares made him slightly uncomfortable. He could feel a pensive gaze from behind the black spectacles Hibiki always wore. 

“Is something wrong?” Fubuki asked, worried.

“No...it’s just that you never have plans, other than to snowboard,” Aki teased him. “Is this about your new pet?” Hibiki glanced over at Aki when she mentioned his new pet. Fubuki knew that by tomorrow, everyone would know he had a pet bird. Small town things.

“Yeah, I’m getting him checked out by the vet,” he explained. “So I’m busy that day.”

“Aw, you said it was sick right? I hope Kidou can figure it out. Is it an exotic bird?”

“I suppose, yeah.”

“Ohh that’s so cool, once it’s better you gotta show me pictures! Maybe we can even use it as a mascot!” Fubuki almost saw his life flash before his eyes at that suggestion. Aphrodi would be such bad rep for his town. 

“He’s a bit shy, I’ll try.” Fubuki lied, then tried to steer the conversation topic away from his “pet”. “About the brochures…”

\---

Fubuki pulled up at his house again, then stared at it in confusion. The lights were on inside, greeting him warmly through the softly falling snow. How long had it been since he’d come home to a bright home? Shaking off the thought, he hurried in and unlocked the door, already bracing himself for the worst. 

“Hello person!! Welcome back!” The fluttering feeling in his heart at being greeted upon coming home was squished by the fact that he’d been called “person”. A certain long-haired angel had crawled halfway out of the kotatsu to greet him. All the blankets in the room had been arranged in a mound around the kotatsu. Fubuki realized he had never plugged it back in, and Aphrodi must have come to seek some warmth to find none.

“My name is Fubuki Shirou,” he stiffly replied while going over to plug in the kotatsu. Aphrodi watched with sparkling red eyes, then cocked his head as he felt heat spread from under the table. 

“Ohhh that’s how it works. Good going, _Fubuki_.” 

“Somehow, you managed to make my name sound weird,” Fubuki replied with a sigh. He was sighing a lot lately, probably due to the exotic bird that was tugging at the electrical cord. “Don’t touch that. It might shock you.”

“How shocking.”

“Stop. I’m going to cook dinner. Do you have anything you can’t eat?”

Aphrodi rolled over, now trying to heat up his belly while staring at Fubuki. The angel thought for a moment, then shook his head.

“No, but it’s not like I really need to eat. I just like eating.”

“You don’t...need to eat?”

“Yeah, it’s not necessary, I mostly just thrive off of human goodwill y’know. Or whatever, good vibes. But food is always tasty. I do like it.”

“How are you using a mix of modern slang but don’t know how to plug in an electrical cord?” Fubuki couldn’t just let this slide.

“I hear a lot of prayers, I pick up accents.” Aphrodi easily replied while pulling up his strands of hair and letting them fall. He liked seeing how the old light flickered off of his golden locks. It wasn’t as if he had a lot to do around here….

“Fubukiiiii.”

“Yes?” Fubuki cautiously replied, having shed off his jacket to put on an apron. 

“I’m so bored here, don’t you have anything to entertain yourself with?”

“Books?” Fubuki weakly suggested. It was how he passed the time at least, and there were plenty in one of the unused rooms. One that he knew Aphrodi had rifled through since he had had to pick out feathers from there.

“Reading’s boring,” Aphrodi whined. “And I can’t even go outside. It’s too cold.”

“Oh.” Remembering something, Fubuki went over to the storage closet and dug around again. All the items he had been storing, unused for years, were suddenly being pulled out. It was a weird feeling. His hands grasped around a familiar thick cloth and he retrieved what he’d been looking for. A dusty hanten was brought into the light, presenting a faded maroon color with black trim. 

“Here.” He brought the jacket over, then helped Aphrodi get into it. Fubuki noticed how the angel winced when he accidentally brushed against the broken wing. “This should keep you warm.”

“Aw, I love it. Smells like mothballs,” Aphrodi finally sat up out of the kotatsu, upper body able to fend for itself from the cold now. 

“As for entertainment, I’ll be getting a TV on Sunday,” Fubuki informed him. “You can watch it then.”

“A TV! I always loved watching those whenever I did house visits,” Aphrodi excitedly answered. “Almost made me miss my deadline a few times, but now I can watch all I want.” Crossing his arms on the table, he laid his head down on them, a smile on his face as he closed his eyes to rest again. Fubuki watched for a bit, then decided Aphrodi couldn’t cause any more trouble like this. He went to prepare dinner, adding a few more ingredients to make it for two instead of one. Even if Aphrodi didn’t need to eat, it still felt better to eat with someone else at the table. Either way, he had too much food from all his kind neighbors. This way he’d be able to get through it all faster...

“Who am I trying to justify myself to?” Fubuki muttered to himself as he began preparing some fish. For now, he’d cook for two. It might help Aphrodi heal faster, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Hanten](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanten) \- a short winter coat worn typically at home.


	3. tangerines

Kidou pulled up in front of his old friend’s house, wondering exactly what type of bird Fubuki had picked up. He’d never chalked up the quiet classmate to be someone who’d get a bird. A dog seemed much more likely, maybe even a cat, a more conventional pet…. Getting out of the car, Kidou went to open the trunk and pulled out some equipment he’d brought along. Not knowing exactly what the problem was other than “a broken wing” he’d tossed in all sorts of avian-related equipment. Satisfied with what he had on hand for now, Kidou closed the trunk, then went to knock on the door. He could hear Fubuki’s muffled voice in the background...yelling at something?! A series of thumps sounded, and then the door swung open but only a crack. 

“Kidou, hello.” Fubuki breathlessly greeted his friend. “Thanks for coming, um.” The homeowner squeezed through the door, then shut it behind him. The air was still chilly, but for once it wasn’t snowing. Fubuki glanced at the sky, then at Kidou again. A pair of goggles answered his gaze, always ready for any sort of vet work. 

“Is...the bird outside?” Kidou asked, unsure as to why they were now both standing outside Fubuki’s house.

“No, no, it’s inside. Actually, I wanted to ask...uh...Kidou are you religious?”

“Huh?” _Is the bird going to die?_ Kidou had to tread carefully here. He knew Fubuki was a mix between Shintoist and Buddhist like most town residents. Kidou, however… 

“I’m...atheist,” he carefully answered.

“Oh ok, whew.” Fubuki’s reaction was just as odd as this series of questions. “Ok Kidou, I know this might be a really weird request but could you please keep whatever you see inside a secret? It’s nothing bad, I swear, but it’s just...odd.”

“OK?” Kidou was getting suspicious now, but for _Fubuki_ to be asking him for something like this. His curiosity was too strong. “OK if it’s not illegal….”

“It’s not!” Fubuki protested his innocence. “It’s just weird, really. I still can’t understand it but it...needs help and I figured you might be able to help.”

“It? The bird?” 

His friend opened the door again and didn’t answer his question. Stepping in after Fubuki, the first thing Kidou noticed was how the normally perfectly arranged home now seemed a bit disrupted. Doors weren’t closed properly, blankets and towels were peeking out of closets, and even more surprising was that multiple lights were on in different rooms. He’d come here in the past just to spend time with friends to liven up the house a bit, but it had never felt this lived-in before. 

Fubuki entered the living room and Kidou followed suit. A mess greeted his eyes, blankets strewn everywhere in a rough circle around the kotatsu that had a loose bag of oranges on it. Someone was peeling the oranges. A certain someone that had pale white skin and long blonde hair and-

“Are those wings?!” Kidou nearly yelled out his observation as he dropped his equipment. 

“Oh! Fubuki is this your friend? I didn’t know you had friends.” Orange-peeler stared at him with curious red eyes. “You want an orange? These are great, I’ve been peeling them all day but I can’t eat this much.”

“It can talk,” Kidou whispered, refusing to take the proffered orange slice. 

“Your loss,” Aphrodi responded with a shrug as he popped the slice into his mouth. Fubuki decided to step in before he had to perform first-aid on the vet that looked close to passing out.

“Kidou...this is Aphrodi...he’s the one with a broken wing I mentioned. Also he’s an angel. A real one.” Kidou gaped at the angel, then took off his goggles. Red eyes met one another, then he put the goggles back on again.

“It’s real?” 

“Unfortunately, yes.” Fubuki dodged an orange peel that was thrown at him. “And his wing is broken, I was hoping you could help and...fix it? So he can fly home?” He walked over to Aphrodi’s side and pointed at the bent wing.

“Oh.” Suddenly, Kidou was all business. If he ignored the fact that the wings were quite large and attached to...a person (he was going to think that for now). The wing truly was bent oddly, but there was no visible blood or pus. He bent down, then retrieved a pair of latex gloves to begin his preliminary inspection.

“Aphrodi...was it?” He came over and stood next to the patient that was trying novel ways of peeling oranges. 

“Yeah? You want an orange now?” A peeled orange was shoved towards him again, which Kidou declined. Again.

“I’m going to check your wing, let me know if it hurts.” Kidou stared down at the patient who nodded while eating the previously offered orange. Figuring he might as well start, and for once was working with a patient that could talk and give feedback, Kidou reached out and carefully grabbed the wing. Aphrodi spit out his orange.

“Sorry, did that hurt?” He asked, concerned as Fubuki came over with some tissues to clean up the mess.

“I’m alright.” Aphrodi mumbled, but he looked paler than before. 

“Can you move your wing for me? Please.” Kidou tacked onto the end. It seemed like that _was_ the magic word because Aphrodi cooperated without talking back for once. One wing stretched out beautifully and Kidou’s expert eye noted how it moved. The other one stretched a bit, then laid limply on the side. Ignoring Aphrodi’s clouding eyes, he began running his hands over the injured wing. There were no wounds, but a bone was definitely broken. Luckily, it hadn’t healed back improperly yet, but he would have to set it correctly. 

“Fubuki, can you help me? I need to splint his wing, but I’ll need someone to help hold the wing in place since these are...large.”

“Ah yes, of course.” Fubuki glanced at Aphrodi whose breathing had turned shallow. No matter what the angel said, the broken wing was definitely painful and bothered him. Under Kidou’s guidance, he grabbed a pair of gloves and put them on while Kidou readied the bandages and splints needed. The only extra material needed was some large pieces of cardboard, since the stuff Kidou had brought was too small for Aphrodi’s wing. 

“Ok Aphrodi, it’s going to hurt for a bit while I bandage you up. But I need you to relax so we don’t damage anything else.” Kidou prepped the tense patient. 

“Here….” Fubuki came over, then gently rubbed Aphrodi’s back, carefully avoiding touching the base of the injured wing. “It’ll be over quickly, and once Kidou has you bandaged up it won’t hurt as much anymore.”

“Ok,” Aphrodi whispered, shoulders relaxing a bit as he tried to focus on the warmth on his back instead of the pain in his wing. It hadn’t been so bad until the goggles man, Kidou, had touched it. Now it hurt. A lot.

“That’s great. Fubuki, I need you to hold the wing once I’ve moved it into the correct position. Aphrodi just keep staying relax-” mid-sentence, Kidou adjusted the wing. Aphrodi gave off a high pitched wail, then slumped to the side.

“Oh my god Kidou, he passed out,” Fubuki whispered in shock as he hurriedly checked for a pulse. 

“It’s alright, he’s still alive,” Kidou calmly answered while he began splinting the wing. “This actually makes it easier, I’ll just work fast. Now hold the wing like this please.” Fubuki grabbed onto handfuls of feathers and kept a worried eye on Aphrodi while Kidou began wrapping bandages. Mercifully, Aphrodi stayed unconscious and Kidou took the time to check for any other abnormalities.

“Well I’m only a vet, so I can’t vouch for the human part, but at least for the bird part the rest of him is fine. Just needs some rest,” Kidou remarked as he packed up his equipment. “Now, you have to explain to me how you ended up with an angel in your house.” Fubuki had been expecting this question and went to the kitchen to bring out refreshments.

“Here.” He swept aside some orange peels and placed them on the kotatsu. Aphrodi was still under it, but had been carefully laid on the side and propped up with blankets to not bother his new splint. “It’s a bit of a long story…” Fubuki started as he launched into a short retelling of his past few chaotic days. 

“I see,” Kidou tapped the table, then helped himself to some more crackers, finally speaking up after the story was over. “So I guess he is real, and angels are real…but nothing like what people think they are.”

“Yeah,” Fubuki glanced at the mess of orange peels. Some had even fallen off the table and mixed in with Aphrodi’s shift. Now that he thought about it, the angel rarely stayed awake long enough to do...anything humans needed to do. “He’s a bit of a character. But it might’ve been the pain causing him to act like that. At least I hope it was.”

“Well, we’ll see. If he heals at the rate of a normal bird it’ll take a couple weeks. I’ll come check up in two weeks.The total process might take up to six weeks.” Kidou got up from the floor and patted himself off. He still had errands to run, and it was getting late in the morning.

“Six weeks…!” Fubuki glanced over at the sleeping figure. Six weeks of this...but he couldn’t just leave Aphrodi alone. Knowing the boy, he’d get caught and sold to a freakshow in about two days.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep quiet about it. And don’t worry about the medical fees. I didn’t use any medicine and the rest is negligible.”

“But the bandages and stuff!” Fubuki protested, trying to grab for his wallet.

“Fubuki, honestly, even though I’m atheist, I feel weird charging an angel for treatment.” Kidou confessed. “Just keep it for now, maybe buy him something sweet to cheer him up. That was definitely a painful process.”

“Ah, alright.” Fubuki let his hand fall to the side, then got up to walk Kidou out. “Also, Aphrodi keeps sleeping all the time. Is that normal?”

“He may have been trying to sleep off the pain, or the shock of a new environment.” Kidou mused. “I really don’t know, but it would be a bit interesting to keep an eye on him. Maybe I can use his feedback to see how to best treat my patients, since most of mine can’t talk.” He slipped on his shoes, then turned to give Fubuki an amused smile. 

“Well, just keep him out of trouble. I don’t know if it’s easier for you or not since you can communicate with him. Let me know if anything else comes up.” With that, Kidou gave Fubuki a strong pat on the shoulder and went out the door. Fubuki watched as the little van pulled out of his driveway and drove off, probably to another appointment. Shutting the door again, he went back to check on Aphrodi. The angel was still asleep, and probably would remain so for a while if the past few days indicated anything. Fubuki unplugged the kotatsu and carefully draped a blanket over the sleeping figure, then went to cook lunch. 

\---

“How’s your pet bird doing?” Aki was peppering him with questions as they prepped the TV for transport. Evidently, she also wanted a nice strong man to help her install the new TV. Her boyfriend was still in America and thus Fubuki was the male muscle stand-in, much to his lower back’s regret.

“Doing better, but still sleeping, Kidou took a look at his wing and it’s pretty bad so he needs to rest.” Fubuki replied through gritted teeth as he lifted up one end of the box TV. Aki held the other side, and together they shuffled through her hallway and to his car trunk. The two set it down with a heavy thump, causing the car to rock a bit in the snow.

“Good thing it fits, we probably should’ve measured it before going through all this trouble,” Aki noted as she hurried back inside to warmth. Her house was western style and actually had central heating, something Fubuki was starting to understand now that there was more than just him in the house. 

“Fubuki, don’t go yet! I have some other stuff for you!” Her voice rang from inside, coupled with the sound of several bags shuffling. Fubuki went back inside and shut the door after him to not let more heat escape. Two paper bags were shoved into his hand, one from Penguin Bakery and another of...cat toys? 

“The cake is to thank you for coming to help,” Aki explained as she pointed at the blue and white-striped bag with penguin mascots on it. “And this! I cleaned out some cat toys from when I had one! I heard birds sometimes like to play with them, so maybe it’ll be good enrichment for your new pet. Once it heals, of course.”

“Oh, thanks…” Fubuki was glad that at least he had some sweets now. Aphrodi might like that.

“And I saw that at the general store, they carry bird seed! So that might be useful too.” 

“Oh uh, that’s nice. My bird likes fruit.” Fubuki was very sure that if he tried to give Aphrodi bird seed the feisty pet would immediately throw it back in his face. 

“A bird that likes fruit? Endou would _love_ to hear that.” Aki laughed as she remembered the enthusiastic fruit farmer. “Don’t let him know yet, or else you’ll wake up to 5 cases of grapes and a cantaloupe on your front door.”

“I’ll keep quiet, thank you for these.” Although Fubuki knew that now that he’d told Aki, the whole town would know within a week. Aphrodi would at least enjoy the excess fruit. Fubuki cooked enough for two everyday, but the angel had only been awake for a couple meals and fell asleep quickly after eating. He still wasn’t sure if he believed that Aphrodi didn’t need to eat, but food never hurt anyone.

“No problem, and I hope your bird gets better soon! Is it one of those that can talk?” 

“I...suppose, yes, it can talk.” Fubuki was trying to leave now, before he accidentally let slip anymore information. 

“Ohh that’s so cool, maybe you can make an Instagram account for it or something. Promote our town!” Always diligent, Aki would use anything to give their little town a boost on the internet. 

“I’m not really a social media person,” he hurriedly replied. “But thank you again Aki, see you at work tomorrow.”

“Of course! See you!” She waved at him from the open doorway and watched as her quiet coworker started up the car and drove off. Ever since Fubuki had gotten the new pet, he’d already changed a bit. She smiled to herself, then went to check her phone and let everyone know about the injured bird that liked fruit.

\---

Aphrodi was awake when Fubuki came home and watched curiously as the snowy man arranged some old boxes of books in the living room. 

“What are you doing? Recycling?” 

“Reusing,” Fubuki clarified. “I got a TV, but I don’t have a TV stand so I’m just going to use these. How are you feeling?”

“A TV!!! Ohh I’m so excited.” Aphrodi crawled out of the kotatsu for once and came over to look at the makeshift TV stand. He patted the boxes, then stood up. Fubuki realized that this was the first time he’d seen Aphrodi stand up straight and the angel was a good bit taller than him. The one good wing on his back was folded neatly under the hanten, with only the bottom few feathers peeking out from the bottom. The injured wing hung more limply and had more feathers visible, rumpling against the white shift.

“Oh right...Aphrodi, now that you can move around a bit more, do you want to change into warmer clothes?” Fubuki thought back to some clothes he had in storage that might work. 

“Oh! I want to wear traditional clothes!” Aphrodi demanded, eager for an outfit change. He picked at the white shift that surprisingly didn’t show any signs of stains. “Forgot I was still in my uniform, gross.” 

“Ah…” Fubuki should’ve expected this by now, but this meant he had to dig deeper in the storage closet. “OK, let me get the TV in first.” He started towards the front door, then remembered how it had taken two people to get the TV into his car in the first place. Fubuki stopped, then glanced back at Aphrodi who had wandered back over to the space heater. 

“Actually...let me get you some clothes and shoes.” This piqued the angel’s interest, who got up and followed him to the hallway closet. 

“How much stuff do you have in here?” Aphrodi asked with wonder as he watched Fubuki’s upper body nearly disappear inside the deep closet. 

“Too much.” Came a muffled reply. Eventually, Fubuki retrieved a couple large cloth bags that he dumped into the hallway. All this exertion was causing him to slightly overheat in the middle of winter. Fubuki grabbed his shirt collar and flapped it a bit, attempting to get some cool air down. Aphrodi pawed at one of the bags, trying to guess what was in it when Fubuki bent over and unzipped it. 

“Here,” Fubuki pulled out a thick wool kimono. It was slightly worn, with some holes in it already from when it had last been used. He felt a pang in his heart upon recognizing the loose dotted pattern on it, knowing it had once been his dad’s. 

“You can wear these, I don’t wear traditional clothes anyways.”

“Ohhh,” ever eager, Aphrodi immediately reached down to pull his shift off. 

“Aphrodi!” Fubuki glanced around, glad that there weren’t any windows here. “Oh my god, put that back down for now, I didn’t know you weren’t wearing anything underneath!” Aphrodi was definitely a boy, Fubuki felt like he’d suddenly seen too much. 

“Tch,” Aphrodi let his hem drop back down and took the kimono as Fubuki hurried back to his room to dig around for some spare underwear he didn’t wear anymore. Coming back, Fubuki shoved the boxers into Aphrodi’s hand and steered him into the bathroom. 

“Actually, do you need a bath?” Fubuki asked a question that had been on his mind for a while now.

“That would be fun!” Aphrodi enthused, looking around the little tiled room. 

“Although…” he reached behind him and picked at a long white feather. “I don’t know if I’ll fit.”

“Use the basin, I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” Fubuki pointed at the small plastic basin sitting under the sink. “Sit on the stool, and use the shower head - OK wait don’t grab that I’ll show you how to use it…” He sighed and rolled up his sleeves, coming over to help the confused heavenly being. Fubuki ended up having to help Aphrodi take off his shift, as the slits in the back got caught on his splint and caused the angel to pathetically cry out. 

“Kidou said to keep this dry,” Fubuki spoke more to himself as he tried to angle Aphrodi’s wing out of the way while avoiding staring at the naked angel. Unfortunately the wing kept snapping back in place, and he had to go get a towel and wrap it around the entire splint. 

“OK. This should work,” he brushed aside some golden strands of hair, then let his hand hover over the gold crown for a moment. Aphrodi turned to look up at him, red eyes sparkling in the fluorescent light with curiosity. 

“Something wrong?” 

“Ah, no...um, do you mind if I wash your hair?”

“Yeah, I don’t mind?” Aphrodi was confused as to why this required his permission. Fubuki didn’t reply and only reached over him to turn on the tap. Steam soon filled the room as hot water washed over them, mostly splashing on Fubuki as he worked around the large wings. 

“Alright, hold this,” Fubuki instructed Aphrodi who had shut his eyes to keep the water out. He shoved a full water basin into Aphrodi’s lap, then began shampooing the long golden strands. Surprisingly, the angel really was quite clean, but Fubuki just felt like he should still try. Unfortunately, Aphrodi opened his eyes upon smelling the fruity shampoo scent and promptly got some in his eyes.

“AGH.” Aphrodi shook his head, trying to rid himself of the suds that were attacking his eyeballs.

“Aphrodi! Don’t move, hold on.” Fubuki grabbed a smaller towel and wiped off the suffering angel’s face. 

“OK, you can open your eyes now.” Crimson eyes met teal ones as Aphrodi blinked away tears. He noted the soft drooping eyelids and how long Fubuki’s lashes were, even more evident now that they were so close. Fubuki’s shirt was soaked up top, clinging to his chest. 

“You look OK. Now I’m going to finish rinsing you off so close your eyes and don’t open it again until I say so, got it?” Fubuki got up and moved behind Aphrodi again to finish up. The drenched patient huffed a bit at losing such a nice sight and closed his eyes. Warm water ran along through his hair as gentle fingers worked out the shampoo. He could tell that Fubuki was taking care to not tug or yank on any of his roots, carefully smoothening his hair back after washing it. Warm steam buffeted his cheek and he waited for Fubuki’s cue to open his eyes again.

“There. You can open your eyes now.” Fubuki carefully twisted Aphrodi’s long hair into a towel to start wicking it dry. Golden lashes cautiously fluttered open, eyes refocusing as the basin was taken away and then dumped over his lower body.

“Ah!” Aphrodi flinched in surprise as Fubuki then grabbed a towel and shoved it at him.

“You can towel yourself off. Be careful not to slip. Put on the underwear and come out to the hallway again.” With that, Fubuki quickly exited the room, presumably to go change out of his own wet clothes. Aphrodi stared at the frosted plastic door for a bit, then carefully stood up to towel himself off. It was nice to take a shower once in a while, even if it wasn’t totally necessary. He noted how everything in the little bathroom was simple and worn, but there was only one of every item. Pulling the boxers on, Aphrodi wrapped the large towel around him in a semblance of modesty and ducked back out into the hallway.

“Fubuki!!!” Like a lost fledgling, he perched next to the storage bags and began crying for his unwilling host. 

“Wait, wait, I’m coming.” Fubuki hurried out of his room, having changed into another set of long pants and t-shirt and holding...a knife.

_Oh shit._

Aphrodi scrambled back down the hallway, fearful as to what was going to happen. 

“Fubuki um..I’m sorry for being so annoying?” Aphrodi started as Fubuki flattened out the wool kimono, then scored two long slits down the back. “Fubuki?!”

“Here, now you can fit your wings through it.” Fubuki held it up and nudged the kimono at him to come and try on.

“Wh- wasn’t this yours?! Why did you cut it?! I could’ve just folded my wings under it…” Aphrodi weakly replied as he shuffled over, towel still wrapped around his body. Fubuki carefully fit the kimono over the wings, then began to adjust it to fit Aphrodi better. Pulling the towel off, he quickly closed the front and began to pull it shut when he remembered some other kimono parts were needed.

“It’s fine, I don’t wear these.” Fubuki replied as he looked around him to see if he could find the kimono slip that Aphrodi was supposed to wear. “And if we bound it with the obi, your wing would get squished. Alright hold this, I have to find the kimono slip.” With that, Aphrodi found the wool cloth roughly shoved into his hands and held it there, confused as Fubuki delved back through the closet. 

As Fubuki fumbled around through the different boxes, Aphrodi glanced around the hallway. His eyes caught on the door that was always closed. The one room he had entered once and left alone after that. He remembered stumbling in front of an open shrine with three photos on it in that dark empty room. The incense had burned down by then, but he could tell that the shrine was well maintained and loved. By now, he had guessed that Fubuki lived alone, but the age of the photos let him know that the loss had occurred a long time ago. The clothes he was wearing now...Aphrodi looked down and let his fingers run along the rough wool fibers. 

“Here, whew, found it. You have to put this on first. The wool is too scratchy to be worn alone and is also hard to clean,” Fubuki pulled out a white cotton kimono and shook it out, then cut two slits on the back again. “Let’s get this on you first.” 

Aphrodi managed to shimmy out of the wool kimono with some extra help for his splint wing, then carefully put the white kimono on. Fubuki tied a sash over the front after adjusting for height, then pulled the wool kimono onto Aphrodi again. After some more adjustments and almost pinching some feathers under the obi, Aphrodi was ready to go and...sit under the kotatsu in a kimono.

The angel turned all around, trying to see what he looked like before remembering there was a mirror in the bathroom. He hurried over and stood on the stool to admire the sleeves and neat tie in the back. 

“This is nice!” Aphrodi called down the hallway, then saw that Fubuki was trying to clean up some of the mess that had spilled out of the closet. Feeling a shred of self-consciousness and how Fubuki had a knife, Aphrodi went over to help. 

“Thanks for letting me wear these,” he quietly spoke to Fubuki who was sorting between bags that he now felt could be kept outside of storage. 

“Hm? What’s got you so polite now?” Fubuki smiled up at him, amused at this sudden change in tone from the normally demanding angel. Aphrodi gaped at this unexpected sight, suddenly forgetting everything he wanted to say.

“I can be polite if I want to be!” He responded, hastily brushing some of his hair back and bending down to help. “This kimono is warm, it’s nice.” 

“Better than that long shirt you were wearing,” Fubuki responded as he swatted away Aphrodi’s curious hands from some bags he was going to keep out. “And that’s good that it’s warm, I need your help carrying the TV in.”

“What! In the snow?!” Aphrodi asked, instantly regretting having commented on the wool’s insulation properties.

“Yes, in the snow, but it’ll be fast. And if you help me, I have cake to share with good helpers.” He was beginning to enjoy Aphrodi’s exaggerated reactions, including the worry that could be seen in those furrowed golden brows. 

“Cake…,” the gears turned inside the angel’s brain, then Aphrodi hurried over to the living room where he reemerged wearing the hanten. 

“I’m ready!” He announced, spreading out his arms, sleeves bulging slightly after having been stuffed in too quickly.

“I can see that,” Fubuki replied while trying to smother a laugh. “Let’s get you some socks and slippers, _then_ get the TV.”


	4. strawberries

“Fubuki!! Take care,” Aphrodi eagerly waved at the figure framed in the doorway, a shadow against the whirling white landscape outside. He personally was at a safe distance from the cold, standing at the living room doorway.

“I’m off,” Fubuki gently replied. He finished slipping on his shoe, then turned and smiled at the angel before closing and locking the door after him. Aphrodi watched for a bit longer, having only recently convinced Fubuki to start exchanging greetings and farewells with him after watching a couple dramas on TV. Upon being questioned on why he didn’t do this, Fubuki had given him a soft smile tinged with sadness. Unwilling to back down, Aphrodi now made sure to be awake when Fubuki came and left the house in order to greet him.

Truthfully, he was feeling a lot better now that his wing wasn’t in such a weird position, and didn’t need to sleep as much. The new wool kimonos were great insulation and with the wool socks Fubuki had lent him, he was better able to putter around the house and make trouble. A lot of changes had been made in the house since the TV had arrived. The living room was cozier now, with boxes acting as makeshift shelves for snacks and stacks of newspapers on the side to lay on the kotatsu before eating. Another closet had also been cleaned out for Aphrodi’s clothes that were now modified from the previously stored kimonos. 

Grabbing a bag of chips (Aphrodi considered this one of mankind’s greatest inventions) and a newspaper, he went to settle down in his usual spot on the kotatsu and turned on the TV. Truthfully, it was still boring when Fubuki wasn’t around. Slightly distorted voices blared out from the TV as he watched whatever was on the current channel. Colors flashed across the screen, when suddenly a knock sounded from the front door. Aphrodi flinched in surprise, dropping the chip he was holding. This had never happened before, and he wasn’t sure what to do. 

“Fubuki!” A bold voice called from the doorway. “Fubuki, are you in?!”

Aphrodi did the best thing he could think of and crawled further into the kotatsu, fearfully glancing around. Fubuki had locked the door but...who was this?!

“Endou, I don’t think he’s home…” a different voice spoke up this time.

“But his light is on! C’mon Fubuki!!!!” Another series of knocks pounded on the door and then the door rattled from someone trying to open it. “Dang it’s locked, forgot he locks his door.”

“Endou!” The voice sounded scandalized now. “You can’t just go into someone else’s house!”

“Aw man, we all know each other here, it’s fine Rococo.” Some footsteps shuffled outside and then a series of deeper thumps sounded from the doorstep. “Maybe he forgot to turn off the light, but with how much he worries over his power bill I doubt it. Let’s just leave this here.”

“Alright-- ah, Endou, let me help with that.” Their voices turned muffled in the distance and then Aphrodi heard the sound of a car starting up and then pulling out of the driveway. He remained crouched under the kotatsu for a while, nervously trying to hear if someone was still around. After determining that half an hour should be enough (the TV program had changed), Aphrodi crawled out, then went to see what had been left at the front door. He peeked through the frosted glass that was visible between the decorative wooden frame, trying to get a good look. Unfortunately, whatever arrived was shoved right up against the glass and only presented as a murky black. 

Not wanting to brave the cold and open the door, Aphrodi shuffled back to the living room and nervously finished off his bag of chips. Leaning forward on the table with a sigh, he laid his cheek down on the warm wood and watched the current TV program. A love story...humans always wanted to find their significant other. The one that would fill their life with colors and joy, something Fubuki definitely needed. The boy acted otherwise, but Aphrodi had been awake long enough to observe him and conclude that Fubuki lived in greyscale. 

“I should do something for Fubuki...cheer him up or something,” Aphrodi mused, reaching up with another hand to rub his cheek while deep in thought. The lonely boy seemed to have cheered a bit after being greeted and sent off everyday. 

“Maybe if we act as a couple, I’d be able to give him the same amount of happiness as a human would.” Crossing his arms in front of him and sitting up, red eyes affixed themselves on the love story playing out on the flickering screen in front of him. It wasn’t as if Aphrodi was a stranger to love, he’d spent a stint in that department but it had been too much work. Although now that online dating was a thing, he suspected that their workload in getting people to their soulmates was significantly easier. The amount of times he’d cursed insufficient postage on a love letter while working in that office was too high. Musing on these thoughts, he sat up straighter and focused on the modern love drama. It was a new era, and he had to take notes. 

\---

Fubuki’s phone buzzed one too many times while he was at work for him to truly focus on his code. Excusing himself from his desk, he moved to the front door to check what was happening. 

* * *

Endou: FUBUKI!!!! YOUR LIGHTS ARE ON

Endou: ARE YOU HOME?

Endou: YOUR POWER BILL!

Endou: $$$

***20 min ago***

Endou: OK. I left some fruit!

Endou: for your bird!

Endou: hope it gets better son, Aki told me!

* * *

Fubuki chuckled a bit at the last typo, sometimes Endou sounded like such an old farmer despite them all being around the same age. The cause of this unexpected fruit delivery was currently chatting at the desks behind him. Ironic, considering she was the one who had told him not to tell Endou. He typed quickly on his phone, responding before more texts could flood in.

* * *

Fubuki: I’m at work right now, but I’ve been leaving the light on at home for the bird. Don’t worry about it. Thank you for the fruit.

Endou: NO PROBLEM!! FRESH! Save some $$$!

* * *

He wondered what fruit it was, knowing that Endou grew fruit both inside and outside the greenhouse. This early in the year, there weren’t too many in season out in the open. It had taken longer than he'd expected to receive fruit, actually, considering it was almost the weekend again. Returning to his desk, he finished up the day’s work to try and head home a bit early and save the fruit from the bitter cold. 

Sure enough, there was a stack of boxes outside his front door when he parked. Fubuki checked them over briefly before unlocking the door. He’d go over the contents in the warmth of his own home. To his surprise, Aphrodi wasn’t waiting at the front door for him. He hurriedly glanced towards the living room where the light was on. The muffled sound of the TV could still be heard, so the angel should be around. Glancing back at the boxes, Fubuki ended up taking off his shoes and heading to the living room first to see if Aphrodi was alright. He turned the corner to see some golden hair trailing out from under the kotatsu.

“Aphrodi?! Are you OK?” Fubuki came over and lifted up the edge of the blanket. 

“Ah!” Red eyes peeked out of the darkness at him. “Oh, it’s _you_ Fubuki, whew.” Aphrodi crawled out and slightly shook himself off. 

“Why were you down there? Are you not feeling well?”

“I didn’t know who it was!” Aphrodi suddenly protested, “There were so many knocks and then yelling at the door! So I decided to just hide now when I hear the door. Also, you’re home early.”

“Oh.” Fubuki glanced at the worn clock on the wall. It was true, he normally came home half an hour later than this, but he hadn’t thought Aphrodi would know….

“That was Endou, he dropped off some fruit. Sorry, I didn’t think he’d come by so soon. You did good, don’t answer the door.”

“Fruit?!” Aphrodi nearly shot towards the front door and Fubuki had to reach out and grab his sleeve.

“Wait! Did you hear what I just said? Don’t answer the door, OK?” He was worried that someone would find out he was living with someone else. _Then_ he’d never hear the end of it, and with how Aphrodi looked...they’d have sekihan ready in about three days.

“Yes, yes, hide if I hear anything outside.” An incorrect interpretation, but good enough. Fubuki let go of his sleeve and followed him to the front door. With some shuffling between the two of them, three boxes were brought into the living room. Aphrodi excitedly brushed off some snow that had accumulated on the side and opened a box.

“Oranges!” He exclaimed, staring at the hefty box of citrus. “Yay, I just finished peeling the last bag.”

“You’re going to have the world’s best immune system,” Fubuki remarked, scoring open the second box with his knife. This one contained some yuzu wrapped in newspapers. 

“These are a bit more sour, be careful, but we can cook with it.” Fubuki explained to Aphrodi who curiously sniffed at one of them. He reached for the last box and opened it to find one of the most popular fruits of the season.

“STRAWBERRIES!” Aphrodi yelled, nearly pouncing on the box. Fubuki laughed a bit, observing that his pet bird really did love fruit. He quickly had to swat Aphrodi away, however, as the feisty bird was trying to directly eat a strawberry from the box.

“Aphrodi, no! Endou doesn’t use pesticides but we should still wash them. Let me put these away and then I’ll wash some for you.” He saw the angel’s wing flick again under the hanten, a sign of discontent. He’d became quite good at reading Aphrodi’s body language lately, as the angel’s frivolous personality tended to hide deeper emotions. To his surprise, Aphrodi actually helped him put away the fruit, then stuck next to him while he washed the strawberries. The rough wool of the kimono brushed against his arm as the angel leaned over his shoulder to watch. 

_Is he sticking closer than usual?_ Fubuki wasn’t sure, seeing as his personal space was being invaded so often lately it was hard to tell. He brought the bowl back to the kotatsu, then sat down to enjoy a few of them as well. Endou’s crop was always good, the farmer typically hosted open fruit picking during the other seasons. Aphrodi would love that, although there was the problem of his wings….

The problem angel also followed to the kotatsu, then sat down next to him, causing the two of them to be squished together on one side. Fubuki stared as Aphrodi casually grabbed a plump strawberry, then began to eat it. 

“Aphrodi...are you still cold?”

“Hm?” He’d asked at a bad time, as Aphrodi’s cheeks were now stuffed full of strawberry. A bit dripped to the side and Fubuki grabbed a napkin to wipe off his chin. 

“You’re sitting so close to me, normally you sit on the other side.”

Aphrodi swallowed, then fluffed his wing. 

“Oh! That’s because I figured I should help you out since you’re letting me stay here!” 

Fubuki felt a sinking feeling in his stomach upon hearing this but the angel boldly continued speaking. 

“And then I thought, well, you’ve been alone all this time, so why not just be a couple with you? Be the partner to your life! So now we should do some couple things.” The gold crown of hair flashed in the yellow light as the self-important angel nodded to himself. 

“What?!” Fubuki scooted himself over, then felt dismay as Aphrodi moved with him. “No, this is such a bad idea, where did you get this idea from--.” A familiar jingle from the TV suddenly rang out, catching Fubuki’s eye and finally reading the program title: [Doki Doki Love Battle]. 

“Oh no, I knew the TV was a bad idea,” he whispered. 

“Why not? I think it’s a _great_ invention, almost as good as potato chips.” Aphrodi replied, grabbing a strawberry and pushing it up against Fubuki’s lips with a smile. “Look at it this way, I’m nearly the perfect partner, minus the wings part I’m almost like a human!” 

“If you can say that about yourself you are _not_ the perfect partner,” Fubuki protested, trying to end this idea before it started. Unfortunately, the train had already left the station and Fubuki was on it as the strawberry was shoved in his mouth. 

“It’s fine. The show said it might be rough at the start while we get to know each other, but it’ll work out! And I used to work in the love department so I know what I’m doing.”

“I don’t want _talk show advice_ , Aphrodi. No, we are not going to be a couple.” Fubuki scooted out of the kotatsu and went to sit on the other side. _Some space would help in this discussion_ , he thought to himself. Settling down he looked up at what he swore was angel aura turned up to the max. Brilliant red eyes blinked at him, veiled with gold lashes and laced with tears.

_Was that a halo?!_ The old halogen light seemed to be giving the crown of Aphrodi’s golden hair a fuzzy glow, loose strands wisping through the air. 

“Fubukiiiiii I’m just trying to help, really, give it a try,” Fubuki wavered for a moment, and instantly knew this was the start of his downfall. 

“I...we can start as _friends_. I do not desire _companionship_ ,” he emphasized the last point.

“OK _boyfriend,”_ Aphrodi excitedly replied as he got up and switched to Fubuki’s side, cuddling up against him. “This is great, you’ll see,” he leaned over and planted a kiss on Fubuki’s cheek, causing red to blossom on the boy’s face. 

_Oh God, come pick up your lost angel,_ Fubuki fervently thought, praying to a different god for the first time in his life. 

\---

No difference was truly made during the rest of the day, other than Aphrodi wanting to stick to his side and get in the way. After he almost dropped a pot of water on the angel’s foot, Aphrodi was re-banned from the kitchen. (The first ban was from when Aphrodi went searching for crackers and spilled half the rice a week ago.) Fubuki was starting to ease into the idea of having an underfoot Aphrodi for the next few weeks while they ate together. The angel was his usual chatty self, wanting to discuss the crazy animals he’d seen on TV today. It was only when going to bed that trouble began.

“Aphrodi...what are you doing.” He’d stepped out of the bath to find that their futons had been pushed together. Aphrodi was brushing his hair with his fingers, evidently waiting for Fubuki to get out of the shower.

“Trying couples things,” the angel coyly replied, “It’s not right if we’re sleeping apart from each other.”

“That is normal _friends_ things,” Fubuki stressed. “Move that back.” Instead of waiting for Aphrodi, he went over and began to try and drag the futons apart. His pretend boyfriend wasn’t having it, though, as Aphrodi stubbornly laid on both of them. Suddenly, he wasn’t so light anymore.

“It’s fine!! It’s warmer this way anyways,” Aphrodi cuddled under a blanket, then pulled aside Fubuki’s and looked up at him with hopeful eyes. It had been a long day of work and Fubuki really didn’t feel like arguing anymore. Maybe if he went along with the angel’s whims this would all end faster. 

“I don’t...whatever,” there was no point arguing with Aphrodi over something like this. Placing his towel on the side, Fubuki stiffly got into bed, then reached up and clicked off the light. Moonlight seeped in through worn cotton curtains while snow still lightly fell outside. He stared up at the dark ceiling, wondering how he’d gotten to this point in life. A very familiar presence pushed up against him, then slipped a wing over his body. 

“Hey, isn’t that bad for your wing?” Fubuki asked, reaching up to try and push it off. 

“This wing’s fine,” Aphrodi’s voice was so close, too close. Unwillingly turning his head, he saw muted red watching him in the dark with a hint of amusement. “But I don’t recommend pushing it off, maybe it’ll get injured, too.” A surprise kiss caught him on the forehead, then the kiss demon rested against his side. 

“Aphrodi!”

“This is warmer,” came a muffled reply. “Goodnight, Fubuki.”

Fubuki remained silent, feeling the heat radiating off his side and the gentle brush of feathers over his blanket. 

“Goodnight, Fubuki!!!”

He sighed, then reached up and patted the long silky hairs in the dark. 

“Goodnight, Aphrodi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Sekihan](https://www.justonecookbook.com/sekihan-japanese-azuki-beans-rice/) \- typically prepared for joyous occasions, like Fubuki possibly getting hitched! (finally)


	5. snow cones

Kidou ran his hands along the wing splint, carefully checking to see if anything had moved incorrectly. He’d trusted Fubuki to take good care of the splint, but the owner of the splint was another matter entirely. Luckily, everything was in good condition and on path to heal properly. Refusing the proffered orange, Kidou stood up and nodded at Fubuki.

“It looks good, he’s healing fine. Another few weeks should do it. How do you feel, Aphrodi?”

“Fine! You really don’t want an orange, doc? We have a box of em.” Aphrodi pointed at Endou’s boxes on the side, still half full of citrus fruits.

“ _Doc_.... No, I’m fine. I’m not a citrus fan.” Kidou replied, slightly taken aback by the level of slang being used. Fubuki noted the confusion and stepped in to intervene.

“Sorry Kidou, he’s been stuck with the TV for too long and it’s given him a lot of bad ideas. He’s picked up some words, too.” _Just like a real bird…._

“Maybe he’s getting a bit of cabin fever,” the vet remarked, trying to see this as a way to help his patient. “You might want to take him out for some fresh air...it’s starting to warm up a bit anyways.” Spring was coming and the snows were lessening, albeit for a heavenly being he wasn’t sure if this was an acceptable environment. Fubuki had mentioned that Aphrodi disliked the cold but not much else. 

“I don’t want anyone to see Aphrodi, though,” Fubuki replied, distressed with what might happen if people found out. 

“I’m not that ugly,” Aphrodi complained, peeling another orange. 

“Well, just take him out to the mountains while you snowboard right? Maybe next weekend, as long as he doesn’t do too much strenuous activity he’ll be fine.” 

“Snowboard?” Aphrodi immediately perked up, excited at the chance to try something new. “Snowing on a board?”

“He hasn’t been watching the sports channels, huh,” Kidou remarked. 

“No he hasn’t, he’s mostly been focusing on horrible talk shows.” Fubuki sighed and reached up to ruffle his own bangs. “I’ll see if I have the proper clothing to take him to the mountains. I don’t even know if a normal down jacket will fit over those wings.” 

“I wanna go to the mountain!” His songbird yelled up at him from the warm kotatsu. That poor piece of furniture was definitely getting overworked this winter. 

“I have some old clothes and boots Aphrodi can wear,” Kidou offered; seeing that it was his suggestion, he tried to help a bit. “They might be a bit dirty since I’m...a vet, but they’ll do to keep him warm and dry.”

“Oh, that would be great,” Fubuki gratefully replied. “If I went around asking for extra clothes I’m sure word would get around.”

“Word always gets around here.” The poor vet heard every piece of gossip from around town, including about Fubuki’s mysterious new pet bird. He wasn’t one for gossip, however, so tended to just give non committal answers to nosy questions. 

“I’ll drop it off when I pass by on a round during the week. For now just keep up whatever you’re doing.” With that, he took off his gloves, then went to the kitchen to throw them away. Looking around, he could see that it was slightly more crowded than before. Some more snacks had appeared on the side, probably to feed a junk-food crazed pet bird. The living room had felt so much warmer, too, and it wasn’t because of the worn space heater. The entire house was starting to have a lighter feel to it, although Kidou couldn’t point out exactly what had changed. Returning from the kitchen, he saw Fubuki standing and absentmindedly petting Aphrodi’s head while eating a peeled orange. 

“I’ll be going now,” Kidou picked up his bag and headed towards the front door. Fubuki detached himself from Aphrodi and went to walk him out again.

“Thanks, doc!” The angel’s voice rang out from the living room, then was quickly drowned out by the TV.

“An interesting angel, but at least he’s remarkably hardy,” Kidou smiled at his old friend.

“Yeah...he’s stopped sleeping as much, I think he really was in pain back then,” Fubuki leaned against the wall while watching Kidou slip on his shoes. “You think he’ll be good to go in a few more weeks?” His friend finished getting ready and stood up, giving him a thoughtful look.

“If it continues like this, yes, but I think…”

“Hm?”

“Are you sure you want him to leave immediately? Does he have somewhere to go?” 

Fubuki hadn’t been expecting a question like this, and started to quickly answer with a yes when he suddenly found himself plagued with doubts. Did he want to come home to an empty home everyday? Eat alone again? Talk out loud just to hear something? Kidou watched his friend hesitate and knew that he’d hit the nail on the head. Aphrodi was a positive influence on Fubuki, whether he admitted it or not. 

“Well he can’t stay forever,” Fubuki weakly replied, feeling a slight twist in his heart when he said that out loud. 

“You never know,” his friend turned and headed out the door. “Tell me if anything else comes up.”

“Thanks, Kidou,” Fubuki softly answered, watching the door click shut. 

\---

Fubuki was fervently hoping that he wouldn’t cross any other traffic while heading up to the mountains. His snowboard equipment was in the back of his car, but Aphrodi couldn’t be persuaded to also bundle up in the trunk. If anyone saw Aphrodi pressed up against the front window trying to get a good view of the mountains, he’d never hear the end of it. It was early in the morning and snow was lightly falling from the sky, a good day for snowboarding. No one should be out and about at this early hour, so Fubuki felt like he was safe. Aphrodi was gazing around with wide eyes, full of zest despite whining earlier about having to wake up so early. 

“How high up are we?” His pet bird asked, carefully hopping out of the car, then instantly shivering at the cold. 

“I don’t know, but high enough that you should probably know, considering you can fly.” Fubuki replied while going over to adjust Aphrodi’s scarf. He ended up having to check over the down jacket and pick up one of the mittens that had dropped onto the ground. Kidou’s clothes luckily fit well enough and also hid Aphrodi’s wings. 

“I don’t come with an altitude sensor,” Aphrodi replied, tugging down on the beanie he was wearing. “And honestly half my flying is assisted by my halo, it’s a lot of work to like, really flap around and think at the same time.”

“What?” Fubuki looked over in confusion as he unloaded his trunk. “Is your halo like a GPS?”

“Maybe that’s what you’d say it is? That’s probably why I got lost, I haven’t flown without it in a looooooong time,” the angel eagerly pulled out a blue plastic sled from the trunk. Kidou had also dropped this off, recommending Aphrodi to _not_ try any crazier snow activities. 

“Is the halo…something you angels use to keep track of where each of you are?”

“Yeah, we can clock in and out with it. Not like any of us ever clock out — 24 hour service!” The latter sounded like sarcasm to Fubuki, but he couldn’t really tell. Unfortunately, this made him realize a problem with getting Aphrodi out of his house. 

“Wait, if you don’t have your halo, can no one contact you and vice versa?” 

“I suppose not. It’s so nice to not be constantly pestered.” Aphrodi settled comfortably on the edge of his trunk, weighing down the end of the car. He reached over and patted one of the snowboard boots. “Dang, these look heavy, you gonna be able to run around in these?”

“How...how are you going to get back then? Hey! Don’t undo the straps!” Fubuki grabbed the boots from Aphrodi, then put them on himself. He couldn’t see Aphrodi’s wings under the thick down jacket and suddenly felt more blind in the conversation. His reliance on the angel’s body language was greater than he’d thought.

“Well I can’t get back right now anyways!” Aphrodi casually avoided answering the question while hopping off the trunk. “Are you going to snowboard? Show me! Then show me how to sled!”

“Let me show you how to sled first…,” Fubuki worried as to what trouble Aphrodi might get himself into trying to do things himself. Kidou would confiscate his snowboard if his pet bird got further injured. Closing the trunk, he took the sled and trudged through the snow in his heavy boots. Aphrodi followed along like a curious duckling, cheeks red from the cold already.

“This looks like a good slope,” he surveyed the clean hill that was free of trees and shrubs. “Alright, now get in here.” 

Aphrodi complied, settling into the sled and gripping onto the sides. Fubuki began to push him off when the angel reached up and grasped his arm with surprising force. 

“Wait! Aren’t you coming with me?” Aphrodi had at least an inkling that sledding could be done with two people (like a couple!) and also didn’t really want to go down alone.

“I…,” unfortunately, there was space in the sled for two. Now that he looked at it, Aphrodi had a high chance of careening against the side of the sled and damaging a wing again. If Fubuki sat behind him he’d be able to cushion those sensitive wings….

“OK, don’t move,” Fubuki carefully sat in, nestling against Aphrodi who immediately leaned back into him. Crimson eyes tilted up at him, then a surprise kiss landed on his chin. Aphrodi had behaved himself for a week and Fubuki had lowered his guard, much to his regret. He jerked back, trying to put some distance between them but only upset the balance of the sled, causing them to start sliding downhill at a rapidly increasing pace.

“Aphrodi!” He cried out, surprised by how fast they were going. A brilliant laugh answered him as Aphrodi spread out his arms in excitement. 

“Look, Fubuki! It’s just like flying!” Golden hair whipped into his face as Aphrodi turned his head to smile widely at him. White powder puffed into the air as they skidded across the surface, turning slightly every time they hit a bump on their way down. Aphrodi laughed while tumbling out of the sled after they finally slowed to a stop in the small valley below. 

“That was fun! Let’s do it again!” He grabbed the side of the sled and shook it, trying to get Fubuki out. Looking at the trail they’d left on the hill, Aphrodi finally noted how far up it was.

“Aw, wish I could fly, it would be so much faster to get back up there.” 

“I’ll help you carry it back,” Fubuki replied as he stepped out of the sled, then lifted up one side of it. Aphrodi got distracted by nearly everything as they walked back up the hill, leading Fubuki to wonder how little this angel went outdoors. In the end, Fubuki switched back into his normal snow boots, choosing to indulge Aphrodi in his winter discoveries instead of leaving him alone in the snow. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d played in the snow like this. Mind wandering during a break in the activities, he nearly spit out his sip of warm tea upon seeing Aphrodi splayed on the ground trying to make snow angels. 

“You _are_ a snow angel right now, Aphrodi.” He laughed while handing a warm cup of tea to the lightly frosted heavenly representative. 

“Even without my wings, I can make an angel impression in the snow!” Aphrodi proudly replied, admiring his own imprint. He sipped the tea, then watched as steam rose into the air. 

“This is really nice,” he softly noted, smiling as he took in the winter wonderland around him. Grey snow clouds abounded in the sky as a dusting of white settled everywhere. Compared to his previous hectic days at work, this truly was blissful, even if it was cold.

“Better than heaven?” Fubuki joked, only to see a shadow pass over Aphrodi’s face. He couldn’t see Aphrodi’s wings, but guessed that they were probably flicking nonstop right now. 

“Better. Oh! I want to make snowmen!” The flighty bird abandoned the sled, then went over to where some pinecones were on the ground. “We can use these as ears! Or wings.” Fubuki was starting to suspect that Aphrodi was deliberately avoiding answering unwanted questions.

“Aphrodi, be careful to not soak your mittens through, if they get wet your fingers will get cold.” He knelt down next to the angel who was diligently piling up snow in a small mound on the ground. “That’s not...not how you make a snowman. Here, look.” Fubuki grabbed some snow and started packing it in together. There was no water for him to run over the snow to freeze it tighter, but he managed to get it into a decent sphere. Aphrodi followed suit, imitating what Fubuki had just done and failing spectacularly. 

“I can’t get it…,” he whined while the snow fell apart in his hands. 

“It’s alright, just practice. There’s plenty of snow around,” Fubuki patiently replied. The two of them settled down and diligently packed snow into different shapes. Eventually, a lopsided snow angel and snowman were made. Pinecones were substituted for Aphrodi’s wings, one which was stuck in at an odd angle to denote his broken wing by the angel himself. Fubuki used sprigs of evergreen leaves to denote his own hair. Pieces of bark substituted for the rest of their facial features. Aphrodi put in the finishing touch of stabbing a twig in between the two snowmen.

“What...what is that supposed to be?” Fubuki asked, staring at the twig connecting their snow avatars.

“Us holding hands!” Aphrodi enthused, then suddenly remembered what he’d seen on TV. “Wait, Fubuki, you have a smartphone, right? Take a picture! The TV said phones can take pictures nowadays.” 

“Oh…,” not used to being ordered around, Fubuki complied and took out his phone. Fumbling with his gloves, he managed to snap a photo. His phone congratulated him with an achievement upon taking his tenth photo ever. He felt slightly ashamed since he’d owned this phone for about three years now, but photos just weren’t his thing. Aphrodi, however, was having the time of his life as he posed next to the two snowmen.

“Take a selfie! Or selca? What’s the right word?” 

“A selfie, and it’s only called that when you take a picture of yourself,” Fubuki explained. Seeing that he didn’t want Aphrodi to hold his phone, Fubuki knelt down next to the snowmen and held it out to snap a quick photo. 

“Let me see!” Aphrodi hopped over, staying low to the ground to snuggle up right next to Fubuki. “Aw, that doesn’t look very good.” The photo was blurry, as Fubuki’s hand had twitched when he tried to press the camera button. It looked more like a cryptid sighting than a cute winter pic. Without even asking, Aphrodi took off his mittens then grabbed the phone, miraculously putting it back into camera mode with a swipe of his thumb. 

“Take two!” He chirped, holding it up and angling it better before pressing the button several times. “Smile, Fubuki! C’mon,” he leaned into his unwilling partner, then beamed a smile while Fubuki forced a smile. Fubuki barely had any photos of himself through the years, most of which were taken by friends or required school photos. Now in the span of a few seconds he had fifty new photos, judging by how fast Aphrodi was pressing the shutter button. Deeming photo time over, Fubuki reached out to retrieve his phone when Aphrodi turned and gave him a kiss on the lips, taking a photo at the same time. 

“There!” The devilish angel licked his own lips, satisfied at getting a good couples photo. “Oh, it looks quite good! I love this whole smartphone thing.” Ever quick to adapt, Aphrodi was already looking through the photo album while Fubuki hastily tried to wipe off his mouth. 

“Aphrodi!! I-” Fubuki couldn’t bring himself to say that was his first ever kiss. The angel would crow for hours if he found out. “Give me back my phone!” Pushing Aphrodi down, he managed to grab his phone back, but not without being embraced in a hug. 

“So forward, I like it,” Aphrodi teased, pulling him further down. Fubuki ended up pushing himself off to the side and rolling over while clutching his phone. He felt like the snow was going to melt into a puddle around him with how hot his body felt. Blood had rushed to his cheeks and he could barely hear anything over the thrum in his eardrums. 

“Aw, Fubukiiiii,” Aphrodi tried to lay on top of him in the snow, but was roughly pushed off by a frazzled kiss victim. 

“I’m going to snowboard,” Fubuki muttered as he trudged towards his car. He needed some time to calm himself down before punting the featherball off the hill. “If it gets too cold go sit inside the car.” Without even looking back, he changed his boots and grabbed his snowboard, heading off to find a good slope and leaving Aphrodi alone in the snowy landscape.

\---

Aphrodi moped pathetically inside the car. He hadn’t meant to make Fubuki mad...the boy hadn’t outright said anything, but just the frosty attitude was enough to let him know he messed up big time. It had just been so long since he’d had so much fun in life. How many years had it been since his last vacation...Aphrodi really couldn’t remember. Love had sounded fun and interesting, and Fubuki was the perfect target. It could almost count as part of his guardian angel duties, if he spun things the right way. 

“Snow sucks,” he whimpered, trying to open a wing and getting it stuck under the down jacket. Everything was cold and he was all alone again. Everything sucked.

\---

Wind whipped past his face as Fubuki cut through powder downslope. The further he got from that feathered troublemaker, the better he felt. Stopping at the edge of the forest cover, he unclipped one boot, then sat down to rest for a moment. Snow had stopped falling, and Fubuki could only stare at the white that blanketed all around him. All the memories he had been running away from came rushing back in full force, but mostly...he could still feel the kiss on his lips. Shaking his head, Fubuki sighed and lay down with a crunch in the fresh snow, trying to cool himself off. 

“Why was he like that?” Fubuki asked out loud to thin air, wondering if an angel would just manifest and explain things to him. Unfortunately, nothing like that happened and he was left to figure things out himself. Pulling out his phone, Fubuki took off his gloves and began to check the time only to accidentally unlock the screen. The camera roll played out in front of him: pictures taken in sequence of the two of them laughing and smiling and then the surprise kiss. He stared at them for a while, unused to seeing any photos of himself at this age. 

_Ok, boyfriend._

“I’m sure he’s just confused.” He muttered, remembering Aphrodi’s coy response when being fended off from becoming a couple. “He said it’s been a long time since his last vacation. He might just be starved for attention.” That had to be it, as Fubuki couldn’t understand how any part of himself was attractive. Someone who lived alone, had no family, no real desires or hobbies. Sure, Aphrodi _was_ perfect considering he was an angel, but that made choosing dull Fubuki as a partner even more confusing. And how were they supposed to get past the whole not the same species thing?! He shook off his rapidly scurrying thoughts, realizing that he was already getting ahead of himself. First, he had to go back and tell Aphrodi that they needed to keep a distance until the angel had healed. Then, Aphrodi was to find a better place and leave. Even if Fubuki might feel lonely afterwards...it was for the best, for Aphrodi’s own good.

Fubuki finally checked the time on his phone, then sat bolt upright upon seeing the accusing pixels. 

“Two hours?!” he yelled out loud, voice echoing across the valley. _I’ve been at this for two hours? Oh god Aphrodi must be so scared, so alone..._ He’d gone up and down the slope a few times already, but to make it all the way back to the car would take another hour. Standing up, Fubuki unclipped his other boot, then started the long trudge back. 

By the time he rounded the hill that had sled marks criss-crossing it, the sun had appeared through the grey clouds and sent slight warmth into the air. Fubuki looked around, wondering where Aphrodi had gone. His eyes caught on two little snowmen, still intact despite the tussle that had ensued next to them. He stared for a moment, then pulled out his phone and took a photo of just the snowmen. It was a nice memory, at least. 

“Aphrodi?” He propped the snowboard against his car, looking all around to see where the angel had gone. There was no one inside, even when he opened the doors to check. Fumbling with his keys, he popped open the trunk and only found the scattered belongings he had left there beforehand. Helpless, he checked under the car, wondering if the angel had managed to wedge himself underneath for some godforsaken reason. Empty space greeted his searching eyes, and Fubuki stood back up in confusion. 

“APHRODI?” He called louder now, then strained his ears to try and spot any unusual sounds. Silence greeted him and he looked down to see if he could spot any tracks. Too many footsteps had been imprinted here, though, and he couldn’t easily spot which direction Aphrodi had gone into.

“Thank goodness he can’t fly right now,” Fubuki muttered while he randomly picked a set of tracks and followed it. This one meandered into some shrubs, then doubled back after going _through_ the shrubs. Another set went back to the snowmen, and then another went to the abandoned sled. Starting to grow frantic, Fubuki’s eyes landed on a final set of tracks he hadn’t checked yet. 

Carefully following it, he continued calling for Aphrodi while walking along the winding path. The steps were uneven. At some points Aphrodi had been running and other points he’d slowly walked ahead. Fear gripped Fubuki’s heart as he wondered if his pet bird had been running away from something. 

_Bears shouldn’t be awake around this time of the year..._ but spring was coming, so he wasn’t so sure. The trees were denser here, and he narrowly dodged some low hanging branches only to see a familiar figure slumped against a tree.

“APHRODI!” Fubuki didn’t know he could scream so loud as he ran towards the angel. Aphrodi jolted awake, glancing around with wide eyes trying to figure out what had yelled his name. 

“I’m sorry!! I just wanted a nap!” He replied with a yelp while looking around, “I’ll have the reports ready in a bit-oh! Fubuki!” Aphrodi sank back down into the snow with a look of relief on his face. 

“Dear lord-you scared me, I thought I was back at work. Why are you looking at me like that? Are you alright?” He reached up, brushing aside silver bangs to look into worried teal eyes. 

“I thought-,” Fubuki couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud. That Aphrodi had died, and he had been powerless to stop it. “I, nevermind, don’t scare me like that again.” Taking a shaky breath, he stood back up and ruffled his hair, trying to calm himself down. His whole body shook, out of fear or adrenaline, he didn’t know.

“Fubuki…,” a familiar voice called up to him, then mittens grasped his bare hand. “Sorry about earlier...I acted badly. It’s been a long time since I’ve been around humans and things have changed. I won’t do that again.” Fubuki didn’t even want to look at Aphrodi right now, unsure if he’d either go through a breakdown or lose it yelling about how reckless the angel had been. Forcing even breaths, he closed his hand around the mitten and started walking back towards the car, still not making eye contact. Aphrodi fell silent as they walked back together, for once reading the tense mood.

No words were exchanged as everything was packed up in the car and they began to drive back home. Aphrodi nervously glanced at Fubuki, unsure if he was about to be dropped off at a turnabout spot and left behind at any moment. The driver still hadn’t looked at him since he’d been found under the tree and was stoically looking forward while maintaining the exact speed limit going downslope. Unable to stand the silence, Aphrodi finally spoke up.

“Fubuki-”

“Why were you away from the car?” His attempt at conversation was instantly smashed to bits by Fubuki’s clipped tone. 

“I...I got bored, so I went to play, but then I saw some squirrels so I followed them through the trees…” Aphrodi trailed off, hoping this was enough, but Fubuki didn’t respond.

“...and then I got tired, so I decided to take a nap…” he weakly finished.

“I see. Squirrels.” Aphrodi wished Fubuki would stop speaking so curtly. This felt worse than being physically slapped. Giving up on explaining himself, he curled up on the side, staring at the worn fabric seats. He’d had enough of looking at snow for today, actually maybe enough for a century or so.

“Sorry…,” he weakly apologized without even knowing why. Aphrodi could tell Fubuki was still mad, and he was getting scared. The air in the car could frost over at any second. Fubuki let loose a long breath, then re-gripped the steering wheel. 

“Just don’t do that again,” Fubuki ended the conversation without even starting it. 

_Do what?!_ Aphrodi frantically tried to figure out what he had done wrong, but was too afraid to ask. For now, he’d just nod frantically and agree.

“I won’t...kiss you?” He went for what had felt like the most egregious thing he’d done. 

“No!” It took all of Fubuki’s self control to not slam on the brakes and turn to speak face to face. 

“You don’t mind if I kiss you again?” Aphrodi replied, unsure of what he’d done wrong now. Maybe he’d kissed badly? He was out of practice, after all.

“That’s not the point, Aphrodi!” The way Fubuki spat his name had him wishing he could fly already. Anything to get out of this awkward situation.

“Fubuki...could you _please_ tell me what I did wrong?” _I thought it was the kissing..._ he mused internally. Now that it wasn’t he was at a loss. Another controlled breath was drawn next to him and they rounded a bend in the road. 

“Don’t disappear like that.” Fubuki’s voice was so quiet, Aphrodi almost missed it over the sound of wind rushing past the car. He finally looked over at the snow boy, and this time he really _looked._ Fubuki’s knuckles were white with how tightly he was gripping the wheel. Aphrodi thought back to when he’d first woken up with a start and the sheer panic with how his name was called. Slowly, he began to piece together what Fubuki must’ve felt upon seeing an empty car and Aphrodi nowhere to be found.

“Oh,” was all Aphrodi could muster in the moment. “I...I’m sorry, I didn’t think…I really won’t do that again. I’ll stay put.” Fubuki had no reply to that, knowing that in the end it was his fault for abandoning Aphrodi like that in an unknown place. He’d only told the angel to sit in the car if he got cold, then left without a single care. Aphrodi had done a reasonable thing for someone left alone without even knowing if and when Fubuki would come back. But still...that sight of the still figure in the snow brought back too many bad memories that he never wanted to relive again.

“For lunch-” he started to change the topic, wanting to give the current one a rest to sort out his emotions. As the car wound around another bend, Fubuki tried to relax a bit more before he suddenly slammed on the brakes.

“Agh!” Aphrodi cried out as he felt the seatbelt dig into his chest from the impact. A series of bright honks sounded from in front of the car. Wincing, he sat back in the seat to find himself staring at two girls in a large van waving at them. The van had slowed to a crawl to negotiate around the narrow mountain road and Fubuki’s car. 

“Aphrodi.”

“Yes?!” His voice squeaked in that moment, causing him to wince at how inelegant that was.

“Don’t talk. At all. Let me talk.” Fubuki was speaking through gritted teeth, making Aphrodi wonder if this was the yakuza he’d seen on TV dramas. These girls looked very nice though but...best not to judge a book by its cover.

“OK,” he whispered in response, then sat back to look pretty. Fubuki rolled down the window on his side, to greet the two ladies.

“Fubuki!! How are you? Coming back from a snowboard trip?” The van driver had dark skin and bright blue hair along with the fullest lashes Aphrodi had ever seen. He wondered if it was makeup or just winning the genetic lottery. She leaned over the side of the car window, eyeing Aphrodi with interest. He was starting to sweat a bit, wondering what this was all about.

“Fine, thank you Rika. Are you and Touko going up for a trip as well?” Fubuki casually leaned forward, trying to block her view of Aphrodi.

“Yeah! Our general store is closed on Sundays so we decided to take a trip instead of lounging around at home.” Rika eagerly replied, pumping a fist in excitement. “We were going to have a group hotpot for dinner tonight, why don’t you come along, Fubuki? And bring your little friend, too.” She gave a gratuitous wink at Aphrodi who shrank in fear. 

“Rika, you’re scaring her,” The pink-haired girl sitting in the passenger seat leaned over to greet them. Her navy beanie slightly slipped off, catching on the headrest and caused her to have to reach up and grab it before speaking again.

“Who’s that, Fubuki? I heard you had a pet bird, but not a girlfriend!”

“Ah, he’s a boy…,” Fubuki’s brain was running in overdrive trying to think of a good explanation and to get out of this awkward roadblock situation quickly. “He’s my friend from Tokyo. The big city, you know how they’re a little different there.”

“Oh!!!!! A city boy?! Handsome! Is he Japanese?” Rika further leaned over and winked as Touko sighed and pulled her back into the car. 

“Rika, I’m sure he can speak for himself, what’s your name?” Touko smiled over at Aphrodi, who instantly remembered Fubuki’s orders of _not talking._ Frozen, he glanced over at Fubuki whose gentle smile had turned more into a thin line on his face.

“His name is Aphrodi,” Fubuki spoke for the angel. “He’s...not Japanese. His japanese isn’t very good, so he’s shy with speaking.” _Good save._

“Aw, is he staying with you right now? Does he even understand our country accents?” Rika asked, curious as to how long this ikemen was around. Such eye candy wasn’t normally available in their little town. 

“He can sort of understand,” Fubuki replied, wishing he could put his car in neutral and just slip off down the road. “He’s staying with me for a bit. The pet bird is his.” Red eyes darted over to look at him with furrowed golden brows. Aphrodi had no idea what this pet bird business was. 

“Ohhh a pet owner, caring,” lashes were batted in his direction again as Touko sighed on the side. She leaned over Rika to speak again. 

“Nice to meet you, Aphrodi, and don’t worry about Rika. She just likes pretty people, but we’re dating.” Touko gave Rika a kiss on the cheek as she spoke, emphasizing the fact as a sweet blush appeared on her girlfriend's cheeks in response. “But do join us for hotpot tonight. No excuses, Fubuki! You’ve already gone snowboarding today! And Aphrodi should get to meet the rest of us as well!” 

“I-” Fubuki tried to refuse, but Rika threw their van back into drive and stepped on the gas. 

“See you tonight!” The two girls called back as they headed up the slope. The two men sat in the stationary car for a moment, trying to process what had happened before Fubuki finally realized they were still in the middle of the road. Switching gears, the car sprung back to life and began moving downslope again, cold air rushing in while he hurried to pull the window back up. Aphrodi remained silent, starting to understand the concept of silence as a virtue and not wanting to get into further trouble. 

“Well. I guess the cat’s out of the bag.” Fubuki remarked as they slowly exited the mountain paths onto the main town roads. “We’re going to have to figure out what to do about your wings.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ikemen is just slang for handsome guy.


	6. okonomiyaki

“How do I look?” Aphrodi nervously asked as Fubuki finished adjusting the haori. They’d managed to find one in the furthest storage bags, now currently strewn all over the hallway in haste. Luckily, the haori was longer than the hanten Aphrodi had been wearing around the house and covered all his wings. 

“Like a really weird Japan-crazed foreigner,” Fubuki replied, trying to see if any stray feathers were poking out. “OK now move around, I need to make sure your wings don’t accidentally slip out.” Aphrodi complied and walked back and forth down the hallway, then tried sitting down and getting back up. 

“Looks good...just hold your wings close, got it? And as for your backstory you’re a foreigner living in Tokyo and you work in HR for a big company. Understand? And you can’t talk about your work because it’s HR.”

“HR…” Aphrodi was trying to remember if he’d heard this acronym before.

“Human resources,” Fubuki clarified. It made sense, Aphrodi sort of _did_ do that work. 

“OK I got it. I’m a foreigner from Tokyo and I work in HR,” Aphrodi repeated back to him. He reached around to tug at the haori hem, then winced as it pressed down against his splint. Fubuki didn’t miss the slight flinch and swatted away Aphrodi’s hand.

“Don’t fuss around with it, and I’ll let everyone know you have an injured shoulder so they won’t try to pat you on the back.” Fubuki thought of Endou at the moment, someone who greeted with the palm of his hand at all times. He could already guess who would be present at the hot pot, especially after word got out that a foreigner from Tokyo was here.

“Have you actually been to Tokyo before?” He asked, suddenly realizing that the moment anyone started questioning Aphrodi their lie would deflate faster than a cheap party balloon. 

“No? This is my first time in Japan. Tokyo’s the capital, though, right? I might’ve seen it on TV….”

“How about a big city? Like a modern one?”

“Um...a few times? Honestly I don’t do a lot of fieldwork,” Aphrodi confessed. “I got sort of high up so I was shunted around in the office most of the time. The last time I did fieldwork, I think humans were still having problems with sanitation in cities so I tended to stay out of them.” 

“Agh.” Fubuki pulled out his phone, then tried to find some Tokyo vlog. He’d heard about vlogs before from Rika, of course, but he’d never looked into them. After a series of painful search terms he finally found a decent one. 

“Wait, can you speak other languages? Actually...why can I understand you? You’ve never been to Japan, right?” Fubuki looked up at the angel while trying to pick a close caption language. There was a surprising amount available.

“Well, I’m blessed with communication skills in any language because we have believers from any country?” Aphrodi weakly suggested. “I don’t know. I’ve never really thought about these things. But yes, I can speak other languages, although it’s been a while for some of them.”

“What about English? Can you do that?” 

“Oh yeah that’s easy, why?”

“They’ll probably ask you to say something, just, I don’t know. Make something up, no one here except Rococo can speak a foreign language well anyways.” Fubuki decided to pick Japanese as the caption, he wanted to be able to understand things, too. 

“Who’s Rococo?”

“Endou’s husband, he’s from South Africa but came here to check out our farming techniques. They fell in love and got married recently, it was a nice orchard wedding. But he can speak English so be careful.” 

“Oh OK, I won’t say bad words then.” Aphrodi knelt down to watch the video, fascinated by all the glittery sights and sounds in it. 

“Were you going to say bad words?!” Fubuki paused the video and looked sharply at Aphrodi.

“Maybe…you said no one would understand!” Aphrodi protested while trying to press the play button again. Missing, he sadly pawed at the air, then sat back on his knees. Fubuki pressed the play button again and the two of them watched a foreigner vlog of Tokyo. 

“So many lights...is that really Japan?” He asked while seeing the narrow streets and highrises. People crowded in every corner, a far cry from the little town they were in. 

“Yeah, that’s what a big city is like, I suppose all big cities are the same in every country, but you haven’t been to a modern one yet.”

“What’s that?” Aphrodi asked, pointing at a small boxy machine with lights on a side street in the video.

“A vending machine. We have those here, too. There’s one next to the local pool. Tsunami runs the pool, by the way. You’ll probably meet him today.” 

“Ohh I’m excited to meet all your friends,” the angel enthused while trying to tap on the next video in autoplay. Fubuki exited the app and got up from the floor. 

“Just behave yourself, they’re all good people. Let’s clean this up then go get some vegetables from the garden to bring over for hot pot.”

\---

Aphrodi admired how close together the houses were here in the more residential part of town. Or more like he could see four houses without squinting into the distance so this was pretty dense. They pulled up into a small parking lot where the store had steel shutters rolled down across the front. 

“This is...the general store?” Aphrodi asked, recalling what Rika had said earlier today about being closed on Sundays.

“Yes, they live above it.” Fubuki replied as he carefully parked the car. There was no one here yet, but it would soon be crowded with everyone’s cars. Aphrodi glanced up to see that the lights were on and some faint music could be heard from within. 

“I haven’t brought you into town before. Over there is Tsunami’s place, he runs the local pool - that’s the white building next to his house. The school isn’t in this area but if you follow this road down you’ll see it. His husband, Tachimukai, teaches there.” Aphrodi nodded along as he tried to follow this impromptu town crash course. “The rest of the stores are sort of scattered, but I’ll bring you around sometime.” 

Fubuki grabbed the bags of vegetables from the trunk and handed some to Aphrodi. The curious angel followed along as Fubuki went around the back and knocked on a plain white door. The two stood there in the cold, Aphrodi glancing around and noting the worn cracks in the asphalt. Some hardy blades of grass had already started working their way through. Spring really was coming. 

“Fubuki!! Aphrodi! Welcome!” The door swung inwards and Rika greeted them while waving a metal spatula. “Sorry, we’re still in the middle of cooking! Come on in!”

“Cooking?” Fubuki took in the green checkered apron and Rika’s tied up hair. “I thought we were doing hot pot?”

“We are! But also Aphrodi is a foreigner, right? So I thought, why not make him some good ol’ Japanese food! So I whipped up some okonomiyaki, too-”

“Rika!!! Help!” Touko’s voice echoed down the staircase, making everyone jump at the panic in the tone. 

“Let’s go in, Touko can’t really cook,” Rika whispered to Aphrodi with a wink. “You look real nice in that haori, handsome!” The two boys followed along, lugging the bags of vegetables and entering the warm rooms above. Aphrodi instantly understood why Fubuki hadn’t let him wear a hanten, as the heat from the small kitchen permeated the entire house. It was definitely a girl’s home as cute plush and decorations filled every nook and cranny. He recognized some of the decorations as being “gal” style (thanks Tokyo vlog) and surmised that they were Rika’s. A large flatscreen TV was present and currently on a random talk show channel that Fubuki promptly changed to the news. 

“Hey,” Aphrodi began to complain, then remembered he was supposed to just sit, eat, and speak very little. Seeing that there was not a lot of food yet, he deposited the vegetables on the floor and just sat. This home was western style and he admired the simple white wood paneling under all the tastefully chosen clutter.

“Here you go, Aphrodi! Some snacks.” Touko emerged from the crowded kitchen where Fubuki had gone to help earlier. She set down a plate of rice crackers in front of him and also a cup of tea. “Make yourself at home! We’ll be ready soon.” Aphrodi eagerly nodded in response, trying to convey his thankfulness without speaking. He noticed that there seemed to be some soot stuck on Touko’s arms. How that happened during hot pot prep, he wasn’t sure. He began to snack on some rice crackers, licking off the soy sauce while waiting for everyone to arrive. 

“Aphrodi, eat them normally.” Fubuki’s chastising remark came out of nowhere, causing him to drop the cracker in surprise. Luckily, the floors here were hardwood and he could just pick it back up instead of losing crumbs in the tatami. Fubuki placed a portable burner in the middle of the table and started testing the propane. Satisfied that the equipment was working, he began to bring over some of the ingredients. 

“No meat?” Aphrodi asked as he watched the array of vegetables appear on the table. Cabbage, mushrooms, carrots, lotus root, all vegetables he recognized from Fubuki’s garden. This time he’d helped cut the cabbage out, instead of lying half-dead on the garden path. 

“In a bit, everyone else will bring stuff, too.” Just as he spoke, a series of knocks came from downstairs. 

“I’ll get it!” Fubuki called to the chaotic kitchen, where Touko was desperately trying to help and not succeeding. He carefully worked down the narrow stairs that had boxes stacked on the side to reach the door. Opening it, he was greeted by two familiar friends.

“Fubuki! You’re always here first,” Tsunami enthusiastically reached over and patted him on the shoulder. Fubuki made a mental note to quickly let everyone know that Aphrodi was injured. A large teal and white scarf was wrapped around the pool owner’s neck, courtesy of Tachimukai’s knitting prowess. 

“Hello Fubuki, are Touko and Rika busy in the kitchen?” Tachimukai peered past into the stairway. “I’d better go help.” 

“They are. I’ve been helping them, too, and Rika is holding her own,” Fubuki replied with a smile as he took some bags off their hands. “My friend Aphrodi is here already, he’s got an injured shoulder, however, so please be gentle around him.”

“Of course! We’ll make sure he’s well taken care of,” Tsunami slapped Fubuki’s back as they headed up the stairs. Fubuki was feeling a bit worried for Aphrodi’s safety now. 

Aphrodi looked away from the boring TV news to see Fubuki reemerge from the depths with two new friends. One of them had a heavy tan despite it being winter and was wrapped in a generous scarf that suppressed half of his pink tufted hair. Dark brown pupils spotted him through black spectacles and pink eyebrows shot upwards.

“Aphrodi, right? Nice to meet you!” Tsunami reached over and offered his hand. Aphrodi glanced over at Fubuki, then shook it upon seeing a small nod. 

“I’m Tsunami!” The man introduced himself, then tugged the brown-haired man over from where he’d been heading towards the kitchen. “This is my husband, Tachimukai.”

“Hello, Aphrodi,” Tachimukai smiled over at the apprehensive foreigner. “I hope you’re liking our little town, are you here to recover from your shoulder injury?” Panicked, Aphrodi looked over at Fubuki only to find that he had disappeared back into the kitchen already.

“Um...yes.” The angel tried to reassure himself that short answers were acceptable for now. 

“Oh!! Your Japanese is great!” Tsunami reached forward to pat Aphrodi’s shoulder, then quickly pulled it back when seeing the poor man flinch. “Oops! Sorry about that, I’ll make sure I’m hands off. But I hope you enjoy the food we brought! Tachimukai and I made plenty of fish cakes and tempura, have you had those before?”

“...no,” Aphrodi carefully replied. He was fervently trying to stop his wings from twitching, he was so nervous...where was Fubuki?!

“Tsunami, I’m going in to help them,” Tachimukai detached from his husband and grabbed the rest of their bags to enter the kitchen. “I’ll talk to you in a bit, Aphrodi!” He smiled at the quivering angel before heading into the crowded kitchen. Tsunami sat himself down next to the table and poured himself some tea. Aphrodi watched, fearful that conversation was about to start. Sure enough, Tsunami beamed over at him and raised up his cup.

“So, Aphrodi-” some banging on the door interrupted Tsunami who put his cup back down and turned to look downstairs. “Let me get that!” He called towards the kitchen while scrambling to go check the door. Aphrodi breathed a sigh of relief, glad that he wouldn’t be pressed into conversation just yet. Tsunami returned, flanked by two men carrying boxes of fruit, along with a girl carrying a tote bag. 

“Ohhh! Hello!” The girl rushed forward, pushing past the two men to greet Aphrodi. He noted how cozy her outfit was: a sweet navy peacoat and brown wool pleated skirt complete with extremely thick leggings for this weather. “I’m Aki! Fubuki’s coworker, nice to meet you! Ah, but he said you’re a foreigner...does he understand me?” She looked over at Tsunami, worried that she’d been too forward. 

“Yeah! Aphrodi’s Japanese is amazing!” Tsunami praised the laconic angel. “He can understand us perfectly.”

“Oh that’s great, I was worried about my accent,” Aki laughed, switching into more casual speech. “I brought some dessert! I made it myself earlier today.” She set the tote bag down and brought out some dessert boxes, disappearing into the kitchen to put them away for after the hot pot. The room was rapidly getting crowded, not helped by the fruit boxes that had just arrived. Aphrodi recognized the packaging and realized this must be Endou and Rococo. As he was trying to guess which one was which, the darker-skinned one turned around and came to greet him.

“Hello, Aphrodi! I’m Rococo. I’m originally from South Africa so we’re both foreigners here,” a brilliant smile accompanied this remark and Aphrodi hastily nodded his head in reply. 

“This group is really friendly, so don’t worry about your Japanese skills! They all helped me get to my current level.” Kind Rococo misinterpreted Aphrodi’s reticence as fear of being ridiculed for incorrect Japanese. Not fear of being throttled by Fubuki. 

“Thanks...” Aphrodi replied, scooting aside as more dishes were brought out. Rika appeared with the pot and set it in the middle, turning on the heat to keep it boiling hot. Touko followed up holding a plate of what must be okonomiyaki. The angel had seen it on one of the cooking talk shows and was eager to try some. It had looked so good on TV and the savory smells wafting towards him made him start drooling. 

“That looks great!” A familiar voice boomed out, the same as the one that had threatened to break into Fubuki’s house. Aphrodi looked up sharply to see Endou who was currently adjusting the orange bandana across his forehead while staring at the table spread. “You’ve outdone yourself again, Rika!” 

“Aw, everyone helped!” Rika soaked in the complements with cheer. “Has Gouenji arrived yet? He’s the one coming with the meat.”

“He’s late as usual,” Aki emerged from the kitchen and started distributing bowls. "He texted the group just now, something about a cow getting stuck in a gate.”

“He uses that excuse every time. The worst part is I believe him.” Touko sighed while settling onto a cushion. The table was low to the ground, so everyone settled on the floor and crowded around it. Fubuki reappeared from the kitchen, holding some sauces, and wedged in next to Aphrodi. 

“I told him last year to start looking into fixing up that farm of his. Genda’s got plenty of free time.” Endou began picking through some of the ingredients and dropping them into the boiling pot. Conversation centering on local farm topics sprung up as they started eating. Aphrodi watched, unsure of how this all worked. Fubuki simply began fishing out cooked food for him from the pot and dumped it onto his plate. 

“Pick whatever sauce you’d like, Aphrodi!” Aki sat next to him and had seen the hesitation in his eyes. “Do you like spicy foods? This one’s got some chili in it.” She pointed at a small jar that Tachimukai was currently spooning generous amounts out of. 

“I’m OK,” he was trying to keep conversation to a minimum and ended up letting Aki give him a sample of all the sauces. They mixed together on his plate and everything tasted like a strange spilled sauce rack. Aphrodi avoided the sauces after that and just ate the cooked ingredients plain. The fish cakes were really good, he’d had some before in Fubuki’s cooking but these were next level. Handmade really was the best. Aphrodi tried fishing for one out of the pot but missed with his subpar chopstick skills. 

“Here, Aphrodi!” Tsunami hadn’t let the pathetic attempt slip his notice and simply flicked over some cooked pieces into the angel’s plate. “Eat as much as you want! We can bring some to Fubuki next time we make more. It’s easy!” 

“Ah, thank you,” Aphrodi replied, eagerly spearing the poor fish cake on the end of one chopstick. He’d given up in a chopstick battle against native users. At home he was fine, but turns out Fubuki just ate slowly and also would leave him food. Hot pot was straight carnage and if it wasn’t for Fubuki saving food for him, he’d probably starve tonight.

“So how long have you been in Japan, Aphrodi? Other than Tokyo have you been to any other cities?” Aki had been itching to ask this foreigner research questions ever since she’d found out about him through Rika’s text. She couldn’t believe Fubuki hadn’t wrung all the information he could out of Aphrodi yet for work.

“Mph…” the sudden subject of conversation currently had a whole fish cake shoved in his mouth and was looking at her with alarm. Fubuki leaned over and gently rubbed his lower back, avoiding his wings and trying to ease his chewing. 

“He’s been here for only a few months, Aki. And this is his first town other than Tokyo,” he replied for the panicked angel. 

“Aw, well, has he gone around here yet? I want to know what we can use as potential attractions. Actually! Aphrodi, why don’t we exchange contact information?” She pulled out her slim pink flip phone that had copious charms hanging off of it. Aphrodi observed that it looked much like a christmas tree with the number of ornaments it had. 

“No fair! I want his contact info, too!” Rika leaned over on the table, trying to pull out her phone at the same time. 

“Aphrodi doesn’t have a phone, if you’d like to contact him just contact me.” Fubuki interjected, waving a hand at them. 

“No phone?! And you’re from the city?!” Touko was surprised at this, as she was always interested in the latest technology. 

“Aphrodi’s dropped in the river when he first came,” Fubuki made up another lie. Before having to explain further, the doorbell rang.

“Man, the only time I remember the doorbell works is when Gouenji comes,” Touko got up to go open the door. Everyone watched with anticipation as muffled conversation floated up from below and then a new figure emerged from the stairs. The first thing Aphrodi noticed was the blonde hair and lightning-shaped eyebrows. He wondered if this person was also a foreigner, then noticed the worn heavy-duty workwear that was covered in patches of dirt. 

“Sorry I’m late,” he greeted the party and set down the styrofoam container. “New heifer got stuck in the gate and I had to get her out.”

“No worries, Gouenji, but you should really fix those gates.” Endou made space for his friend while Rococo started unpacking the box. Plenty of fresh cut meat was within and they quickly transferred it into the pot. Gouenji made eye contact with Aphrodi and gave a curt nod of greeting. The angel felt relief upon not having to make awkward short conversation with this farmer.

“I’ll get on it sometime, there’s just a lot to do.” Gouenji replied as he also pulled out some small glass bottles. “Here, I brought a new test batch of hot sauce.”

“Oh!” Tachimukai immediately perked up and took a bottle that had a homemade label stuck on it. “This one’s made with...ghost pepper? Wow!” 

“Yeah, new recipe, let me know. It works well with the milk from my farm when you get spiced out.” He replied as he began to fish out some meat from the pot. The slices were thin and cooked quickly, and soon Aphrodi realized that the meat was quickly being eaten before he could even try some. 

“Here, Aphrodi.” Fubuki took Aphrodi’s chopsticks and clasped a piece of meat between them in his left hand while also fishing for meat with his right. The angel watched in awe as Fubuki essentially dual-wielded chopsticks for hot pot. 

After a good amount had been deposited on his plate, Aphrodi retrieved his chopsticks and began working through all the food. Everything was high quality, considering all the ingredients were fresh to the point of having been picked only hours earlier. The meat melted in his mouth and was definitely high grade, probably from Gouenji’s farm seeing how the packaging had been a bit haphazard. The hot sauce bottle eventually made its way to him and Aphrodi carefully read the label: 

* * *

**GHOST PEPPER SAUCE**

\- Gouenji Farms - 

“It’s like a punch to your gut! Give your tastebuds a kick!”

* * *

Ignoring the hot sauce, his next step was to try some okonomiyaki which Rika happily dished out for him upon seeing him struggle with picking up a fat piece. Aphrodi ended up with half an okonomiyaki on his plate, much more than he’d expected. The group was still chatting with one another, most of the discussion centering around predicted crop yields and new farming methods. 

“Aphrodi!” His feathers flicked upon suddenly hearing his name. Aphrodi glanced around hurriedly, trying to see if anyone had spotted the movement. Luckily the space was so small that no one could really see over each other’s shoulders. Endou was looking over at him, evidently waiting for him to finish chewing.

“...yes?” he cautiously replied, unsure of where the conversation had been while he had been busy eating. 

“How long will you be here? Tachimukai said you’re recovering from a shoulder injury? Were you in sports?” 

_Word gets around so fast!_ Aphrodi thought while trying to figure out what to say. 

“Aphrodi’s staying here for a bit, I don’t know how long yet.” Fubuki interjected, having cut short his conversation with Gouenji to help his quivering guest. He could see the feathers twitching under the haori, poor Aphrodi. Reaching over, he gently pressed a hand against the lower feathers to try and help calm the angel down. “He used to work HR in Tokyo, but can’t talk about it due to company policy.”

“Fubuki!” Rika waved her chopsticks at him, a limp piece of cabbage dangling from the end. “Let the poor boy talk! He won’t improve his japanese otherwise!” 

“That’s right, Aphrodi, we’re all friendly here! Now tell us, is Tokyo really so crowded and busy? Not a lot of people have cars there, right? Can you drive?” Touko asked the startled boy, not expecting to be put on the spot for language improvement. Fubuki began to speak, but Rika swatted at him while making shushing noises. 

“Um,” Aphrodi felt gentle warmth press against his back, encouraging him in its own way. “I can’t drive...it is quite crowded.” He’d switched to formal speech out of nervousness. Tokyo people probably spoke like this...actually, he wasn’t sure.

“Did you live in one of those tiny, crowded apartments? You must love how open the space is here!” Aki was curious, having seen the layout of her boyfriend’s cramped apartments in America. Housing in big cities was so different.

“A little bit?” Aphrodi wasn’t sure what qualified as big or small here in Japan. His own dwellings were quite lavish but since he was always at work it barely counted. His office, though, was pretty small. He’d napped in it a shameful amount of times which made it count as a home.

“Is this your first time in the countryside?” Rococo was eager to learn about this fellow foreigner. Aphrodi was evidently not from a farming background, so there was plenty to show him in their town.

“Yes,” Aphrodi nodded, hoping this was the end of the conversation.

“Wow! We have to let you experience country life,” Tsunami eagerly pushed his way into the topic. “If you stay through summer, you can come to our annual festival! Oh and spring is coming, I can take you frog fishing!”

“Frog fishing? Festival?” Aphrodi was confused by this combo of words, trying to see if these two activities might be tangentially related.

“Maybe frog fishing is too weird for city folk, dear,” Tachimukai patted Tsunami’s arm, finally speaking up after only focusing on cooking for both of them earlier. “Aphrodi, it’s almost hanami, the flowers here are really nice. You should go if you have the chance.”

“That sounds cool,” the curious foreigner finally volunteered an opinion. Everyone immediately began offering fun countryside activities, ranging from the beach (Fubuki nixed that suggestion due to Aphrodi’s shoulder) to fruit picking (Endou’s enthusiasm left no room for negotiation). 

“Even if he can’t use his shoulder, he can just eat what we pick!” The proud fruit farmer was showing Aphrodi pictures of his fruit trees. The angel truly couldn’t tell the difference between them but nodded along at the wordy explanations. Most of the group was done eating by now and plates were moved to the side in prep for dessert. Aki brought out the cheesecake she had made. Light, fluffy, and sweet, Aphrodi loved how the cake melted in his mouth. It tasted like what eating clouds should taste like, not the disappointing reality of wet air. 

Aphrodi slowly relaxed, letting go of his tense muscles and leaning against Fubuki. The night ran late as the group joked and reminisced with one another. Aphrodi learned that both Endou and Gouenji were taking over family farms. Endou ran a fruit farm and Gouenji ran a milk farm, with a side hobby of making hot sauce. Touko was from a mid-sized town, Tachimukai was a native, and Tsunami had come here after falling in love with his husband and started up the pool business to make up for the lack of ocean nearby. Rococo had come here to study farming techniques and ended up finding love and settling down here. He was still adjusting to the cold winters, though, despite having lived here for years now. 

“Do you have a hanten? Those are really nice, especially since I see you like traditional clothes,” Rococo noted the wool kimono and socks. 

“Yeah! I normally wear one at home,” Aphrodi reached up and picked at the edge of the black haori. “But Fubuki said it would be too warm here, so I wore a haori.” 

“It’s nice to see foreigners try out kimono!” Rika smiled, appreciating this rare image. “You’ll have lots of fun in the summer, we can all go out to the festival in yukata!”

“That sounds fun!” Aphrodi had seen festivals before on the TV. He didn’t know that they hosted one here, but now he really wanted to stay through summer. If Fubuki would let him, that is...he glanced over and dropped his fruit slice upon meeting piercing teal eyes. He’d been carefully watched the whole time, unbeknownst to him. Fubuki smiled in response, lightly rubbing his back. 

“It’s getting late. Aphrodi and I will head back now,” Fubuki glanced at his phone seeing that it was nearing midnight. “He still needs rest for his shoulder.”

“Ah true, we have to open shop tomorrow, too.” Touko got up and stretched, then started cleaning up. The entire group pitched in except Aphrodi who got shoved onto the couch so as to not strain his shoulder. Unable to protest without exposing the lie, he ended up just holding open trash bags. After everything was organized, they all filed out into the cold night below to head home. The sky was lit by the brilliant moon that shared its light with the myriad of stars surrounding it. Aphrodi stared upwards, admiring how the lack of light pollution let him see so much detail in the night sky. 

“Aphrodi.” A warm hand grasped his cold fingers and pulled him towards the car. 

“Ah.” He turned and waved at the two gracious hostesses. “Rika, Touko, thank you!”

“No problem, handsome!” Rika waved back, leaning against Touko. “Come by anytime you want some good homemade Japanese food!”

“Rika, Fubuki can cook, too.” Touko responded with a laugh as she also waved at them. Aphrodi smiled and nodded in response, letting Fubuki guide him into the car. 

“I could tell you were getting sleepy,” Fubuki remarked as he started up the car. Aphrodi’s eyelids were starting to droop, but he tried to force himself awake to look at the driver. Moonlight washed over the edges of Fubuki's profile, settling softly on his silver hair. Aphrodi thought to respond, wanting to reach out and brush a hand across that luminescent cheek. The car rumbled gently as they ran over the local roads and before he knew it, the angel was fast asleep in his seat. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
> patpatpatpatpatpat  
> \---  
> [Haori](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haori) \- "The haori resembles a short, typically waist- or mid-thigh-length kimono, but differs slightly in its construction, as it has no overlapping front panels (known as the okumi) allowing it to wrap over the body."  
> [Okonomiyaki](https://www.justonecookbook.com/okonomiyaki/) \- Originally from Osaka, a savory pancake mainly composed of okonomiyaki flour and shredded cabbages. Top it with meat and whatever savory sauces you want. Once, I tried cutting the cabbage myself. I've never done that again, it was so much labor for so little payoff. Just buy shredded cabbage, seriously. Also if you want to get blasphemous, put yakisoba on it. So good.  
> [Fish Cakes](https://www.justonecookbook.com/kamaboko-fish-cake/)\- It's like fish, in a cake! OK I know that does sound weird if you don't know what it is, but it's just white fish meat made into a paste with flour and egg, etc. And then cooked! It's a bit labor intensive but the end result is nice! I like to shape mine by hand and then boil it. Make funky lil shapes.


	7. karaage

Aphrodi woke up slowly, stretching an arm out and wrapping it around the sleeping figure next to him. Cuddling closer, he relaxed again now that he was in a comfortable position and began to drift back off to sleep. Both his wings twitched, deemed healthy and strong now by Kidou. He was supposed to flap his wings a couple times a day to build the muscle back up, but for now he’d sleep a bit more. The person next to him stirred as feathers brushed against skin. Fubuki blinked a couple times, letting his eyes adjust to the morning light. An impeccable angel rested against his chest, long golden hair washing all over the blanket and pillows as his chest rose and fell slowly. 

He watched for a bit longer, indulging the angel that was rapidly falling back asleep. Some parts of the blanket had slipped off while they had slept and Aphrodi hadn’t complained, a sign that spring was here. The foreign angel was still bundled up like a child going through their first winter, as spring here only meant lessening snowfall and most importantly - cherry blossoms. 

“Aphrodi, wake up,” he gently called to the sleeping angel, running a hand along his hair as he spoke. They’d had an uneasy peace since that one day in the mountains. Aphrodi had somehow tempered his behavior and now matched the general image of an angel more. Fubuki still took care of him under the guise of waiting for his wing to fully heal, but hadn’t pressed the topic of when he’d leave anymore. A part of him missed the initial playfulness that Aphrodi had come with, but with time and trust maybe it would come back….

“Mmm, too early.” Aphrodi swatted away his hand and tried to pull the blanket up over him. The two of them still slept together, both claiming the excuse of the bitter winter cold. 

“Did you forget what today was?” Fubuki knew that the sleepy angel had been greatly anticipating today. He’d caught Aphrodi gazing at the worn calendar pages more than once after dinner. Pure white feathers stilled as the angel processed the words, then Aphrodi sat bolt upright on the futon. 

“Hanami!” 

“Yep,” Fubuki smiled at the figure framed by the morning light. “And we have a lot of prep to do!”

After a morning brushup, Aphrodi had his hanten on with sleeves and hair tied back. He waited in the small kitchen with anticipation, having looked forward to this day since Tachimukai had first proposed it during potluck. It had taken some scheduling but now, a few weeks later on a Sunday, they were going to go see the fabled cherry blossoms. He’d seen enough on TV so far, as Hokkaido was one of the last places cherry blossoms bloomed in Japan. _Now_ Aphrodi would be able to experience it in person.

Fubuki reemerged from the magical hallway closet holding a set of large and empty bento boxes. Settling them on the living room table, he came in to start the prep. 

“We have about 3 hours, the park doesn’t get too crowded because we’re a small town,” Fubuki explained as he drew open the bag of rice on the floor and scooped out copious amounts into the inner pot in his hand. After washing it a couple times, Fubuki checked the water level and set the rice to cook. As the rice cooker puttered away on the counter, he pulled out the large plastic container of chicken pieces that had marinated overnight from the fridge. 

“That’s going to become karaage right?” Aphrodi knelt down to stare at the carefully cubed chicken that was swimming in a mix of sake, soy sauce, ginger, and other spices he’d already forgotten. 

“Yep, your favorite karaage.” Truth be told, everything was Aphrodi’s favorite food. Fubuki had yet to feed Aphrodi something the angel disliked, he scarfed everything down as if he’d never eaten before. (The latter was something Fubuki suspected, as he remembered Aphrodi normally didn’t need to eat.) 

“I’ll get the pot out!” The eager helper pulled out the deep metal pot they used for frying foods. Fubuki set out a plate with potato starch on it, then placed a metal rack on the side for cooling the finished karaage. Aphrodi poured in an appropriate amount of oil, only splashing a few drops out of the pot, then turned up the heat. He’d helped a few times before, and this time Fubuki had allowed him to take a larger part in the process since they had so much to make. 

“After this, we make the inarizushi, and then the salad, right?” Aphrodi had read through the entire list Aki had sent out. She’d assigned everyone what to bring based on years past, but since Aphrodi was coming along this time Fubuki had to make a little more than usual. It seemed like everyone was motivated to show the foreigner what a proper hanami picnic consisted of. 

“Yep, we’ll probably make the sushi rice, then make the salad while waiting for the rice to cool,” Fubuki thought over what they’d have to get from the garden. He should’ve picked them yesterday, as now he couldn’t leave while Aphrodi was near an open pot of hot oil. 

“Love it when vinegar gets up my nose!” Aphrodi exclaimed, remembering last time when some of the vinegar powder for the sushi rice had been buoyed up by hot steam and caused him to sneeze uncontrollably while Fubuki laughed. 

“We’ll be more careful this time,” Fubuki smiled as he washed his hands, then opened the container to begin starching chicken pieces. Aphrodi helped, and soon the plate was covered with powdery pieces. 

“I think the oil is hot enough,” he remarked while staying a good distance from the simmering pot. 

“Alright, do you have the wire ladle?” Aphrodi grabbed the ladle in question and held it up to show Fubuki who nodded in response. “Great, let’s get started then.” 

Aphrodi felt like he was in a very dangerous game of high-speed fishing. Too long in the oil, and the karaage would turn out burnt and dry. Too little time, and he had a food safety hazard. Heaving a sigh of relief when the first pass was done, he proudly surveyed the neat rows of fried chicken in front of him. They’d only been able to do half a batch at once, as Fubuki normally didn’t cook for so many people and didn’t have space.

“Looks good, let’s refry them and then put them in the bento box.” Fubuki turned up the heat and waited a bit before tossing the chicken in for the second pass. Aphrodi was sweating by the time they were done with only half of the chicken, but the crispy pieces were a satisfying golden brown on the outside. Soon enough, all the chicken was done and placed to the side to fully cool. Fubuki went out to fetch some vegetables to make salad with. When he came back in, he found Aphrodi peering over the inner pot that was now full of fluffy white rice. 

“Did it finish cooking?” Fubuki placed his armful of vegetables on the counter and leaned over to check. Steam wafted up and forced him to blink a few times. 

“It looks good, can you get-” his vision cleared and he faced a proud Aphrodi clutching a packet of powdered sushi rice vinegar.

“You’re so ready.” Fubuki laughed softly and went to get the rice paddle and some fans. The two of them prepared for the eye-stinging battle ahead and carefully positioned themselves. Aphrodi tore open the packet and began sprinkling in the powder. Fubuki furiously turned the rice while the two of them fanned as fast as they could to cool it down. Unfortunately this had the added effect of sometimes whipping up the vinegar powder right back into their faces. After one last coughing fit, Aphrodi decided to call it a day as he was out of powder. 

“Alright, now let’s let it cool,” his calm sushi partner removed the inner pot and took it to the living room to sit. There were now plenty of fresh picked long burdock roots and carrots on the counter. Aphrodi recognized these as the base ingredients for kinpira gobo. He liked the crunchy texture of the delicately sliced root vegetables seasoned with dashi and some other stuff Fubuki would throw in. He’d never followed the recipe too closely, only enjoying the end product. Picking up some of the carrots, Aphrodi figured he could at least start washing them. Fubuki walked back in to see a diligent angel scrubbing at some tubers. 

“I’ll do the fine slicing, you can just peel it,” Fubuki helped scrub off the dirt from the rest of the roots and then handed Aphrodi a peeler. The burdock roots were long so he had to slice them into thirds before the angel could properly peel them. Hunched over the sink, Aphrodi carefully positioned his hand each time to avoid slicing himself. Fubuki had freaked out the first time he’d tried to use a peeler a few weeks ago, but now Aphrodi felt much more confident in his skills. His mentor watched, trying to hold back from starting forward every time the peeler slipped in a dangerous direction. Peeled carrots piled up in front of him and he looked away to start thinly slicing them into strips. Silence descended over the two in the cramped kitchen as both worked away with their respective tools. 

“Which pan will fit all this?” Aphrodi asked as he dug around under the sink. He’d finished first and was pulling out the required ingredients that Fubuki listed off while slicing everything. 

“The biggest one on the bottom, the wok.” Fubuki didn’t look up from the cutting board, carefully slicing through the last pieces of burdock root before dropping them to soak in water. A loud clatter and thump from next to him coupled with a muffled _ow!_ let him know Aphrodi had found the right one. 

“Be careful,” he washed his hands then came over to help pick up the pot. Aphrodi was nursing his head and Fubuki gently pressed his fingers against it, feeling for a bump. Satisfied that the angel was alright for now, he turned and set the pot on the stove, not seeing the blush that had appeared on Aphrodi’s neck. The burdock root water was changed a couple times until it was clear and all the starch was gone. Carefully heating up the oil, he felt a presence hovering over his shoulder.

“Curious this time?” Fubuki smiled over at the angel who was straining to see the process. 

“Maybeeee,” Aphrodi teased a bit, then turned away to busy himself with cleaning the peels out of the sink. His wings flicked under the hanten as he did so, not escaping Fubuki’s keen eyes. Suppressing a sigh, Fubuki added all the sliced roots in and began stirring them while keeping an eye on the browning process. Instead of measuring properly, he simply dumped in eyeballed amounts of dashi, saki, mirin, and soy sauce. A tiny spoonful of sugar was sprinkled on last and then mixed vigorously into the steaming wok. 

Letting most of the water boil itself off, he went to the fridge and pulled out the inarizushi pouches. He’d bought some earlier at the general store this week and received a discount along with a generous wink from Rika. 

“Aphrodi, take this and the bento boxes over to the living room.” He handed the packages over to the waiting angel and turned back to check on the wok. The amount of steam escaping had lessened and the broth was much more viscous now. After a few more minutes of pushing the mixture around, Fubuki felt satisfied with how it was nearly sticking to the sides of the wok and took it off heat. He added in sesame oil and sesame seeds before mixing it one last time and leaving it to cool. 

Grabbing a towel and wiping off his forehead, he rolled up his sleeves and washed his hands to go make sushi. Aphrodi was already eagerly stuffing some pouches in the living room. Judging by the grains of rice next to the angel’s mouth, he had already messed one up and eaten it. 

“Don’t eat too much yet, you still have plenty to eat during hanami,” Fubuki admonished as he sat down at the kotatsu across from the excited angel. Aphrodi was barely able to keep his wings close under the hanten, instead pushing up against it a bit as he repeatedly fluffed them. Grabbing a pouch, Fubuki began stuffing them with carefully shaped handfuls of sushi rice. It was a bit obvious who had made which inarizushi, as Aphrodi’s tended to come out overstuffed and rumpled. Fubuki moved around the inarizushi in the bento box to give it an even distribution. The overall average look fell but it was worth it. 

“They look so good…” Aphrodi wanted to eat some of the sweet pouches already, but knew Fubuki was right. There was such a long list of dishes everyone was to bring, some he’d never had before. He had to save space in his stomach. After two bento layers were filled with inarizushi, there were no more pouches left. Fubuki scraped up the rest of the sushi rice and made onigiri. Despite trying to copy Fubuki’s technique, Aphrodi’s turned out a bit more round than triangular. 

“With practice you’ll get it,” Fubuki assured the despondent angel. His friends were kind and wouldn’t judge Aphrodi for his food presentation skills. “Let’s wrap everything up and then get changed. You can wear that pretty pink wool kimono you unearthed last week.” 

“Oh!” Aphrodi shot up from the kotatsu and went to rifle through his closet. Searching hands pulled out a thick pink kimono that had small circular white dots running all over it. He’d found it while helping Fubuki clean up the storage closet and it had felt perfect for hanami. 

“It goes well with that hanten,” Fubuki remarked, noting how the maroon color contrasted nicely with the pink. It framed Aphrodi’s sparkling red eyes well… Shaking off this unwanted thought, he began stacking the bento boxes. The angel had gotten quite good at dressing himself in kimono nowadays so Fubuki wasn’t too worried. Upon returning from the kitchen he saw a feathered mess sprawled in the hallway.

“What happened?!” He bent down to help untangle Aphrodi who turned over and sadly gazed up at him.

“Wing got stuck.” 

“That much is obvious, are the holes too small?” Fubuki had cut the slits without checking length when they’d first found the kimono. Easing the offending wing out of the slit, he saw that the cloth had gotten caught between two large feathers. 

“Actually, I think you just stepped into it funny.” The two of them tried again, Fubuki carefully keeping an eye on the offending feathers this time. After getting the wings through, Aphrodi took over and quickly did up the sashes and obi. His wings still peeked under the hanten, though, so Fubuki made him put on the black haori regardless.

“I look like a walking blanket,” Aphrodi complained as he flapped the stuffed and layered sleeves.

“A _warm_ blanket,” Fubuki corrected as he grabbed a light jacket. This cold didn’t bother him, but the last thing he needed was trying to treat Aphrodi for a case of bird flu. Kidou would have his head. 

Ignoring Aphrodi’s complaints about aesthetics, he grabbed the wrapped bento boxes and headed out towards the car. A cloudless sky stretched overhead, bright sun beaming down to warm up the chilly morning air. Fubuki’s breath escaped in small visible clouds as he opened up the trunk and began loading in the food. Aphrodi quickly joined him, shivering slightly at the cold while he carried the last few boxes out. 

“I put the burdock root and carrot salad in here!” Aphrodi proudly held up a transparent container, having run out of nice bento boxes. A large oily streak on one side showed where he’d poured it in from. 

“Wonderful,” Fubuki indulged his happy helper and placed it carefully next to all the boxes. With everything packed up, they were ready to go. He added in a hefty bag that was filled with water, heat packs, and a rolled-up blanket while the angel crawled into the passenger seat. Most of this was just prep for making sure Aphrodi didn’t freeze outside. Settling himself into the driver’s seat, he started up the car and puttered out of his driveway to get to the hanami site. 

\---

“Over here!” Aki waved at the two distant figures that were hiking up over the hill. Pink cherry blossoms crowded overhead, swaying gently in the breeze. Petals fell down intermittently, much like light snowfall on a winter day. Fubuki set down the two hefty boxes that were wrapped with muted green and white striped furoshiki on the picnic blanket. Aphrodi followed along, dragging a set of boxes in one hand and propping a plastic container under his other arm. He was fully distracted by the sea of petals above him, letting Fubuki relieve him of his physical burdens and remaining in place to gaze upwards. 

“This is your first hanami, right Aphrodi?” Snapped out of his reverie, Aphrodi’s wings flicked before he could stop himself. 

“Ah, yes.” He addressed Aki while quickly turning himself around to face her. Less wing tells this way. She was bundled up in the same navy peacoat but was wearing a long pink skirt this time. It seemed like despite being a native, she had a lower cold tolerance than Fubuki who was sporting an alarmingly light grey jacket. Aphrodi settled down on the blanket, hearing the plastic tarp underneath this whole setup crinkle with his weight. Aki had supplied all the plastic and paper cutlery they’d be using, along with coming early to set up the spot. She had also prepared plenty of dessert, proven by the delicious-looking sakuramochi and dango neatly stacked in plastic boxes on the side. Aphrodi prided himself on knowing the terminology, having watched far too many hanami-themed cooking shows while Fubuki was at work. 

“Are we the first ones here?” Aphrodi asked while scooting in to lean against Fubuki. He wanted to try all the foods, but so far only saw Aki’s dishes. 

“Yep, on time as usual,” Aki laughed and pulled out her hefty phone to check the group messages. “Tachimukai texted saying they’re on their way about 15 minutes ago. So they should arrive soon...Rococo messaged 10 minutes ago that they’ll be a bit late. Apparently some of their farm stand crates fell over so they’re fixing that before they come. Rika and Touko haven’t said anything but they’re typically just a bit late. Too bad Gouenji couldn’t make it this time, his spicy meat skewers are always so good.” 

“Fences again?” The angel hazarded a guess from what he knew after hot pot. 

“No, it’s calving season so his hands are full, literally.” Fubuki explained to his curious bird. “He’s getting baby cows ready.”

“I know what calves are!” Aphrodi protested, but he was secretly glad for the confirmation. Farming shows weren’t popular on TV, he still had a lot to learn there.

“So what have you two been up to? How is your shoulder, Aphrodi?” Aki was curious as to what Fubuki’s home lifestyle was with this new foreigner around. She leaned back, propping her arms behind her to listen to what must be a thrilling saga.

“We cleaned up the storage closets and I taught him how to cook some Japanese food. His shoulder’s healing but still needs some more physical therapy.” Fubuki concisely summed up the past few weeks. In truth it had been a relaxing time, made better by the fact that he could spend it with someone else. Normally dull chores had become extremely entertaining when a klutzy angel tried to help.

“Whattt you didn’t even go anywhere?!” She couldn’t believe that Fubuki had kept a foreigner cooped up in the house for so long AND made him help with chores. 

“Aphrodi’s not very good with the cold,” Fubuki softly replied while taking out some heat packs. “Speaking of which, let’s stick these onto you before you rattle your bones apart.” Aphrodi’s shivering hadn’t escaped Fubuki’s notice and he was soon covered with strategically placed heat packs. Just as they were rounding up the leftover backing paper to throw away, a hearty group crested the hill.

“HEYYYY!!!!!” Endou’s booming voice echoed over to the trio on the blanket, heralding the rapid arrival of the whole group. It seemed like everyone had met up at the same time in the parking lot earlier. The previously open picnic blanket was soon crowded with dozens more dishes and people. 

“Aphrodi! How are you?” Tsunami sat down next to him and placed some bento boxes down. “How’s your shoulder?”

“Doing better, just some physical therapy.” Aphrodi chirped while trying to see what was in these lacquered boxes. He knew that Tsunami and Tachimukai were to bring ebi-fry and takoyaki, but there were more boxes than just those two items. _Maybe he just made a lot.._.Aphrodi thought as Tsunami began popping open the lids. 

“Here, Aphrodi, we brought some of your favorite!” A hefty box was shoved into his lap. Aphrodi looked down in surprise and saw a pile of grilled fish cakes, exactly what he wanted. 

“Oh!! Thank you!” It took all his self control to not flap his wings. Leaning to the side, he tugged on Fubuki’s sleeve and showed him the box. 

“Oh very nice, you can’t eat all of that, though. Let’s set some aside for everyone else once we all get settled down.” Fubuki immediately smiled upon being faced with such excitement.

“Aphrodi! Aki! Come over here!” Rika and Touko had deposited their food in the middle (a lot of okonomiyaki and some salad) and were waving at the group from a corner. Aphrodi glanced at Fubuki who was busy helping Endou unload the miso soup carefully. He hesitated for a moment, but upon receiving no acknowledgement, he went over to where the girls were now clustered. 

“Yes?” 

A hand reached up and tugged him down into the middle of the group. Aphrodi flailed slightly in surprise but was quickly positioned into a kneeling position by deft hands. Rika’s face appeared in his disoriented view and smiled widely at him. 

“We’re going to give you a girl’s makeover! Your hair is so long and pretty, it’s a shame you haven’t done anything with it.” She brandished up hairbands and a comb. “Since it’s hanami, we’ll make sure you look good for the cherry blossoms!” Unable to protest, Aphrodi succumbed to the giggling girls’ handiwork. His hair was gently tugged and brushed this way and that, but there was no mirror so he could only keep his eyes shut as they chattered around him. 

“Like this-”

“No wait, why don’t we use this one?”

“Your hair is so soft! Wait, don't move!” 

“Ohh I didn’t know you knew how to do that, Aki!”

After what seemed like eternity, Aphrodi stopped feeling any tugs or pokes on his scalp. Still as a statue, he wasn’t sure if the coast was clear yet. 

“OK, Aphrodi! Look!” 

He carefully opened his eyes and saw a pocket mirror held out in front of him. The first thing he saw was how his red eyes brilliantly reflected back in the soothing sunlight. It had been a long time since he’d had no dark circles. Blinking a bit, he realized that wind was tickling against his nape. The girls had carefully left his front side bangs loose and they swayed softly. The rest of his long golden hair had been strategically braided, then looped up like a rose. Turning his head, he saw how the end of the braid was carefully hidden in the middle, giving the illusion of blossoming flower petals. A muted pink and white hana kanzashi had been positioned onto the side of the bun. 

“It’s so pretty…” Aphrodi tilted his head and saw how the trailing kanzashi pieces swayed with his movement. A golden bell on the bottom jingled, its soft chime singing against his ear. It was simple, with only three flowers shaped like sakura as the main ornament. Yet the beauty of the ornament wasn’t lost by being so small, in fact only standing out more against his golden hair. 

“I knew this one would be perfect for you!” Aki grinned at him while doing up her own hair. A short side braid wound over her ear and ended at a smaller bun that also had a red and orange hana kanzashi in it. 

“Aki made these, can you believe it?” Touko held out a red and black one to show him. “They’re just like a professional’s!” Her hair was currently being braided back by Rika who had several bobby pins sticking out of her mouth. 

“You _made_ this?” Aphrodi was amazed as he looked at the neatly folded cloth pieces. Each one was nearly identical with its companion, forming a symmetrical flower. 

“Yes, it’s a hobby of mine.” Finished with her hairdo, Aki blushed upon getting so much attention. “By the way, Aphrodi, you can keep that one as a little souvenir of today.”

“What?! But this must be so precious…” Aphrodi couldn’t just accept a gift like this so lightly. He reached up and gently brushed against the textured cloth petals. The bell jingled again upon being disturbed. 

“It’s not too hard to make, don’t worry,” Aki reassured him with a smile. “And anyways, I’d be happier with them being used than just sitting in my house. You can wear it anytime!” 

“That’s right! We all have several, just take it!” Rika had finished doing both her and Touko’s hair up. Her hana kanzashi was a brilliant blue and gold that matched her tight bun. 

“Now let’s go show off to those boys,” Touko grabbed his hand and winked at him. Muted feet pattered over the picnic blanket to where the rest of the group was centered. The containers had all been opened up to display the impressive spread of food. Aphrodi saw that Endou and Rococo hadn’t wasted a chance to promote their fruit with the fruit salad on the side. The rest of the desserts were still boxed up, saved for later as they unpackaged the paper cutlery and bowls. 

“Fubuki, look!” 

Aphrodi found himself roughly shoved into his unwitting partner’s lap as the girls giggled and scattered off. 

“Ah! Aphrodi, are you alright?” Fubuki grasped his arm and waist, trying to avoid grabbing the angel’s shoulders. The first thing he realized was that no hair brushed against his hand at Aphrodi’s waist. Teal eyes met red ones as he glanced up in surprise. The sun glistened off wisps of golden hair that had come loose from the braid and a bell jingled in the wind as he stared at Aphrodi, so different with his hair done up like this. 

“Um, what do you think?” The question was nearly a whisper in the wind. A blush had crept across Aphrodi’s cheeks as he asked. Fubuki was so close, far closer than he’d felt even when they’d slept next to each other.

“It’s….” _beautiful_. Fubuki shook off the thought, not wanting to admit what would happen if he said that. 

“It’s very nice. The pink matches your outfit.” He firmly replied. “I hope your neck doesn’t get too cold though, I didn’t bring a scarf.”

“I’m fine.” Aphrodi hurriedly replied, wishing he could take off the haori right now with how much he was overheating from the sudden attention. 

“That’s good...here, we’re getting started.” Fubuki passed him a set of cutlery and a paper bowl. “Just get whatever you want to eat, there’s plenty so no need to rush.”

“Ah, alright,” Feeling exceptionally self-conscious with his exposed neck, Aphrodi hurried to try and spear whatever was in front of him. 

“Have you tried this before?” Helpful Rococo crossed paths with him as they both reached for some takoyaki. 

“No, a lot of this is new to me,” Aphrodi admitted, having just been grabbing one of everything. 

“You gotta add the sauce, like this.” Rococo picked up the small bottle of brown sauce next to the container and drizzled some on top. “Here, hold yours out and I’ll do it. Tachimukai is really good at making these!”

“Thanks!” Aphrodi finished grabbing everything else, then settled in next to Fubuki to eat. There was no need for him to get up and pick seconds, though, as food kept being pushed into his bowl. He zoned out while eating, leaning against Fubuki and indulging in all the different flavors. Feeling as if his stomach was going to burst, Aphrodi tucked his empty bowl away on the side and listened to the chatter around him. He blinked sleepily, taking in the gentle swaying of the cherry blossoms above. The sun beat down on them, cutting through the cold wind and basking him in warmth. 

“Aphrodi-oh!” Aki had turned to ask some questions only to find that the content foreigner had fallen asleep against Fubuki. Before anyone else could notice, she quickly pulled out her phone and snapped a photo. Her movement caught Fubuki’s eye and he began to move out of the way. Aki hurriedly waved at him to stop and pointed at his side while placing a finger to her lips. He glanced over and saw Aphrodi curled up against him, chest rising and falling as the angel napped. The telltale wing flicks as he slept were also visible to the trained eye, rustling under the many layers of cloth. 

“Should we let him sleep?” Aki’s whisper carried over the nearby conversation to him. 

“I suppose until we eat dessert. Let’s wake him up then. He was looking forward to your sakuramochi so much.” Fubuki smiled and reached down to adjust the haori to better cover the slumbering angel. The sun passed overhead while they chattered and soon everyone had room for dessert again. 

“Aphrodi, Aphrodi, wake up.” A soft voice called to him, pulling dreams away from his grasp. Blinking sleepily, he stirred and looked up, expecting the familiar little room in Fubuki’s house. Instead, he saw Fubuki watching him with a hint of a smile on his face as the cloudless sky stretched overhead.

“This isn’t heaven.” Aphrodi was desperately trying to orient himself, knowing that Fubuki was _not_ dead.

“Shhhh no it’s not, we’re eating dessert now, you fell asleep earlier.”

“Ah!” The jingle of a bell as he sat upright reminded him of everything that had happened up to this moment. “Mochi!”

“Yes, here.” A new bowl was passed into his hands: fruit salad, dango, and sakura mochi. Aphrodi eagerly bit down into the pink mochi, only to be startled by the salty taste of the leaf around it. Fubuki laughed upon seeing his reaction. Aphrodi’s tongue was half hanging out as he tried to process the flavor.

“That’s a pickled sakura leaf, so it’s salty, not sweet. Just eat it all in one bite, it works well together.” He reached over and wiped off a pink grain next to Aphrodi’s lip. 

“It’ll grow on you,” a soft statement that was meant for more than just the mochi. 

“Geh.” Aphrodi mustered up the courage and bit down again. This time, he made sure to get an even bite and enjoyed it a bit more. Moving on to the dango, he took care to not skewer himself on the stick and retrieved the chewy mochi. Soft and sweet, he resolved to get another one if possible. The sakura mochi he’d pass on. The remaining wooden skewer was useful to fish up fruit to eat from the bowl. Reaching forward, he re-entered conversation with the rest of the group as they admired the cherry blossoms overhead.

“Did you have a good time?” Fubuki placed the empty bento boxes in the trunk of the car, grabbing the rest from Aphrodi before closing the trunk lid. He looked aside to see the pink hana kanzashi swaying in the chilly night wind. Aphrodi had turned around, gazing upwards at the orange and pink streaked sky. Dusk had come and they’d wrapped up the party before it ran too late as they all had work tomorrow. Stars twinkled above, their bright lights straining against the sun’s waning rays. 

“Huh?” Aphrodi turned, the red in his eyes seemed deeper when reflected against the dimming backdrop. “Oh! Yeah! It was so fun!! Aki said she’d send us the photos she took later, I’m excited to see them!” Fubuki didn’t need to see to know that the angel’s wings were probably fluffing with happiness right now.

“That’s great, you helped a lot the whole time, too.” He praised the proud angel that had changed so much since their first meeting. Aphrodi seemed much more down-to-earth now despite still having some misconceptions from watching excessive amounts of TV. 

“Ah, thanks.” Aphrodi picked at his haori sleeves, looking down to try and hide his blush. Fubuki didn’t praise lightly so he didn’t know how to react to this unexpected compliment. 

“Let’s go home,” Fubuki smiled and moved to get into the driver’s seat.

“Wait for me!” He hurried to settle into the passenger seat, buckling up comfortably and feeling the engine rumble to life. _Home_. He was happy he had one here, at least until his wing was pronounced fully healed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Hanami](http://www.unmissablejapan.com/events/hanami) \- Cherry blossom (sakura) viewing!  
> [Karaage](https://www.justonecookbook.com/karaage/) \- Deluxe fried chicken, look man it's double fried. Deluxe.  
> [Inarizushi](https://www.justonecookbook.com/inarizushi/) \- Sweet fried tofu skin wrapped around sushi rice, pocket sized bliss! Stuff with ingredients if you're feeling other flavors.  
> [Kinpira Gobo](https://www.justonecookbook.com/kinpira-gobo-braised-carrot-burdock-root/) \- Burdock root is actually really long and sort of hard to prepare. But it tastes good! The end result is good!!!  
> [Furoshiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furoshiki) \- "a type of traditional Japanese wrapping cloth traditionally used to transport clothes, gifts, or other goods."  
> [Sakuramochi](https://www.justonecookbook.com/sakura-mochi/) \- Pink mochi with red bean paste inside and wrapped in a salted and pickled cherry leaf. The leaf has surprising flavor! But it does grow on you.  
> [Dango](https://www.justonecookbook.com/hanami-dango/) \- This link is specifically for the hanami dango, since it's three colors of green, white, and pink!  
> [Ebi-fry](https://www.justonecookbook.com/ebi-fry-fried-shrimp/) \- Those really long tempura shrimp, yeah?  
> [Takoyaki](https://www.justonecookbook.com/takoyaki-recipe/) \- Octopus Balls. No it's actually just little pieces of octopus inside savory dough balls with lots of sauce and mayo (if one desires)! You can add all sorts of stuff on top as well, I've had kimchi, cheese, seaweed. Hit or miss.  
> [Hana Kanzashi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanzashi) \- Very pretty and made out of tiny pieces of folded up fabric! Look up examples for all the different styles out there!


	8. fish cake

The first thing Fubuki noticed upon entering the office was how quiet it was. Normally, Aki would have already arrived ahead of him and cheered up the entire morning atmosphere. There was barely any snowfall anymore, so the weather shouldn’t have held her up. Moving to his desk, he began to set down his bag when Hibiki caught his eye and beckoned him over. 

“Good morning.” Fubuki extended a cautious greeting, unsure as to why he was being called so early in the day. 

“Fubuki, Aki called to let me know this morning that she’s running a high fever and will be sick for a couple days.” Hibiki sighed as he leaned back in his chair. She’d seemed fine the days before but sometimes the flu just hit like that.

“Oh, will she be alright?” Aki lived alone and Fubuki was worried for her. He’d send a text and drop by to check in on her later.

“She said it wasn’t too serious and has already gotten medicine for it. The problem is, she was supposed to go to the conference in Kyoto this week. Everyone else has families or is booked up...so I was hoping you’d be able to go in her stead.”

“Me?! I….” Fubuki normally avoided business trips, not keen on navigating the unknown of public transportation and new environments. 

“It’s just this once, and we really can’t miss this conference. Of course you’ll be fully compensated and we’ll get the ticket transferred to your name.” Hibiki began pulling together the papers without even listening for a response. 

“Oh.” He stopped grabbing some business cards and looked up at his young stricken employee. “I know you have that pet bird...will it be OK for a week?”

“ _Oh_.” Fubuki hadn’t even thought of Aphrodi, mind already spinning with everything he’d have to adjust to on the trip. “Oh no…I...well maybe, I’ll have to see.” 

“Let me know,” Hibiki replied. “If you’d like, you can go home to get all your affairs ready, since the flight is tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?! I-” He was unable to keep an even tone now. Fubuki gripped his bag tightly, resisting the urge to spin in place. “I...I have to go home and get everything ready.”

“Go ahead,” Hibiki nodded at him. “Just drop by the office before we close to pick up the change in paperwork.” 

“Thank you,” Fubuki wavered, then turned and burst out of the office to drive home. He had a lot to do.

\---

Aphrodi was watching a documentary about birds in the Amazon rainforest when he heard the muffled car engine in the driveway. He glanced up at the clock and saw that it had only been an hour since Fubuki left. 

_Did he forget something?_ Fubuki had never done that, but he’d watched enough TV dramas to know that was something humans did. Aphrodi got up from the kotatsu and went to nose around in the kitchen to see if a bento had been left behind. The front door burst open, causing Aphrodi to jump and flap his wings slightly in surprise. He quickly snapped shut the recovering wing, not wanting Fubuki to see how well it was healing.

“Fubuki?” Aphrodi poked his head through the kitchen doorway only to see Fubuki skid to a stop in the hallway and stare at him, breathless. 

“Aphrodi.” 

“Yes?” He was starting to feel scared, unsure of why Fubuki was home this early _and_ out of breath. 

“I have to go on a business trip. Aki got sick and can’t go so I’m going instead.”

“Oh! Where? That’s fun!” Fubuki still hadn’t moved from the hallway so Aphrodi came out into the living room instead. “Are you back because you’re going now? Is Aki OK?”

“No it’s...it’s tomorrow. But the business trip is a whole week. I need to make sure you’ll be alright. And Aki will be OK, I’ve let the group know.” 

“Me?” The angel had settled back down in the kotatsu to stare up at him. “Why won’t I be OK?”

“I- I don’t know? Food? Taking care of yourself? Household chores?” Now that he said it, Fubuki wasn’t sure why he was worried. He’d just been gripped with a feeling of foreboding on how he couldn’t leave Aphrodi alone. 

“I’ll be fine!” Aphrodi chirped up at him. “I don’t really need to eat, remember? You can just get ready to go. Are you gonna go on an airplane? So funny, how humans can fly.”

“I...yes…” Fubuki put down his bag at the living room doorway then went to pull out a duffle bag. It had been a long time since he’d gone on a trip and he’d have to grab everything to pack. Aphrodi had gone back to watching TV, seemingly enraptured by the brilliant macaws flashing across the screen. 

_Forgot he doesn’t need to eat,_ Fubuki thought to himself as he went to unload some clothing from his drawers. It didn’t feel right to just leave Aphrodi all alone like that, though, and also the food in the fridge would go bad. He’d just cook a lot and package it so the angel could eat through it. This way he could also be a bit useful while Fubuki was gone. 

Halfway through picking out toiletries to bring, Fubuki realized he had no way to contact Aphrodi if anything went wrong. Unless…. He got up and left the bathroom to head down the hallway and entered the one room Aphrodi avoided. Fubuki settled in front of the shrine and then picked up the nearby cloth to clean off some dust. The incense bowl was getting full, he’d have to change that out soon. Before he left, he’d have to freshen up the entire shrine and light a few sticks of incense. The pictures of his family stared back at him, and dust caught on the glass sparkled in the morning sunlight. 

“Mom...dad...Atsuya…” Fubuki didn’t even know what he wanted to say. _I have a pet bird now? Pet angel? A freeloader?_

“I’ll be going on a trip.” He decidedly avoided mentioning Aphrodi. Even when he’d visited the shrine in between, he hadn’t mentioned much about the songbird. “I’ll be gone for a week, but it’s only to Kyoto so I’ll be back soon.” Fubuki ended up cleaning the entire shrine and lighting some incense before going to dig in the corner cabinet to pull out an old corded phone. He’d put it away after getting a cell phone, seeing no use for it anymore when it was just him at home. It still worked, though, and just required some dusting off. 

Leaving the room, he went to grab a piece of paper and wrote down some important phone numbers. Aphrodi was still enjoying the TV show when he re-entered the living room and didn’t even look over at him. 

_Strange, usually he’s all over me,_ Fubuki thought as he fumbled with the landline cord. Lunchtime was nearing so Fubuki abandoned testing the phone and went to cook. Aphrodi remained at the kotatsu, now watching a documentary on river dolphins. When the sound of frying fish cakes didn’t have the angel rushing to his side, Fubuki stopped and leaned out of the kitchen doorway to stare.

Aphrodi was...drooping. The ends of his wings had splayed out against the tatami mats, feathers catching in some portions along the rough weave. He wasn’t even watching the TV, instead staring down at the scratched wooden kotatsu table. 

_Oh._

Fubuki turned off the stove and removed the pan from heat. Wiping off his hands, he walked over to the kotatsu and sat down next to Aphrodi. He heard the rustle of the angel’s wings hurriedly closing as red eyes glanced up at him in surprise. 

“I’m sorry, I wouldn’t leave you if it wasn’t such an emergency.” Fubuki’s hand reached over and covered Aphrodi’s under the thick blanket. He could feel the tension running through those slim fingers.

“It’s only a week, and I’ll be to Kyoto and back before you know it. This will be just a little blip in your long angel life, right?” At this point Fubuki wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince himself or Aphrodi more. 

“And look, there.” He pointed at the small landline phone that was now occupying the dusty space next to the empty fruit boxes. “I’ve left you a list of numbers to call when using the landline. I’ll teach you how to use it before I leave, but I’ll call you everyday.” Aphrodi still hadn’t spoken, instead scrutinizing the new addition to their living room. 

“I’ll cook all your favorite foods, just be sure to eat everyday. Remember, three meals a day.” In truth, Fubuki normally skipped breakfast, but after Aphrodi had arrived on his doorstep he’d stuck to three meals a day thinking it would help the angel recover faster. Now, after just a few months, it had become a habit. 

“How does it work?” Aphrodi leaned forward to better see the landline phone. Fubuki could tell he was avoiding discussing anything too abstract, such as feelings. 

“Here.” Fubuki grasped his hand and took him to cluster around the phone. “Just press the numbers here in sequence. Actually wait - you have to pick up the phone first. Now hold it up to your ear.” He picked up the plastic handset and held it up to Aphrodi’s ear. 

“OK _now_ you can punch in the numbers, now this is my number.” Neat handwriting spelled out his number at the top of the page, then the numbers of Kidou, Aki, the general store, Endou, and Tachimukai. Fubuki had tried to pick numbers of people he knew would pick up and stuck to one per couple. Aphrodi carefully punched in the sequence, only messing up once and hurriedly hanging up the handset and trying again. The dial tone played in his ear as he focused on _not_ looking at Fubuki. A soft buzz interrupted his blank thoughts and Fubuki pulled out his own phone.

“Look, I can see it’s you calling me.” Fubuki showed Aphrodi the phone number displayed on the screen. “Now hang up and I’ll change this to say Home.” He felt a slight pang in his heart upon not having done so before, but it was true now. This was his home, and someone would be waiting for him to come back. 

“And when I call, it’ll ring, like this.” Fubuki pressed the callback button and waited for a moment. A melody rang out, causing Aphrodi to fluff up in surprise, then scramble and pick up the handset to hold it up to his ear. 

“See? You can hear me, right?” His voice reached Aphrodi in two different ways, through both the speaker and air. 

“Yeah…” Aphrodi forced himself to smile and look Fubuki in the eye. He didn’t want Fubuki to be worried about him the whole trip. 

“That’s good,” Fubuki’s voice sounded through the crackle of the speaker as he then hung up. “I’ll go prep food for you, let’s eat lunch and then get some stuff ready for when I’m gone.” He reached over and patted Aphrodi’s head, trying to reassure himself as well in the process. The angel remained near the landline as he cooked up everything in the fridge. Carefully wrapping up whatever they weren’t eating for lunch and dinner, Fubuki also checked the bag of rice. There was enough to last Aphrodi until he came back, and the angel knew how to use the rice cooker. 

Carefully plating everything, Fubuki carried the tray back over to the kotatsu where they often ate now. Aphrodi had returned back to his usual spot, looking a bit more upbeat and tapping the table with his fingers. 

“Here, your favorite fish cakes. I made some extra and put it in the fridge. There’s extra of everything in there. Just make sure you eat regularly while I’m gone, OK?” The bottom of the tray clattered against the wooden tabletop. Aphrodi reached forward and helped steady it before grabbing his usual bowl. 

“Where are you going again? Kyoto? For what?” He was starting to show an interest in this now, having only seen the city on TV.

“Yes, Kyoto, it’s a sort of tourism convention. We go to learn and make connections and see how other towns are doing. Maybe get a few tour groups lined up and also go to some lectures to learn new research and insights.” Fubuki was desperately trying to remember the itinerary, only knowing parts since Aki had mentioned to him in passing before. He’d have to brush up everything on the flight there.

“Take lots of pictures! I wish I could go with you...too bad I can’t fly along with the plane,” Aphrodi nibbled on a fish cake, savoring the taste slowly. 

“Oh please do not.” Fubuki had a sudden vision of Aphrodi getting sideswiped by an airplane wing. “I’ll make sure Kidou drops by in the middle of the week just to check in on you. Oh and-” He got up without even finishing his meal or sentence. Aphrodi stared with wide eyes at the abandoned bowl while Fubuki disappeared into the hallway again. He heard a few doors open, then some rustling before footsteps sounded back in. 

“Here.” A single silver house key dangled on the end of a worn twine loop, turning slowly in the air. “This is a key to the house. I don’t expect you to go out or let anyone in, but it’s just in case.” 

“Oh.” Aphrodi put down his bowl and chopsticks and held out his hand to receive the precious gift. Cool metal touched his palm as he admired the slightly scratched key surface. Yellow light glinted off of it from the lamp above, rough edges sparkling while he wondered who this key had belonged to before. 

“You can wear it around your neck so you don’t lose it, like this.” Fubuki took up the twine and draped it over Aphrodi’s head. The angel let go of the key and felt it fall against his chest, a gentle pressure reminding him of the responsibility of this gift. 

“It’ll just be a short amount of time,” Fubuki repeated to him again, settling back down to finish eating. “I’ll call you everyday, and you can call me if anything urgent comes up.” He glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that lunchtime was ending soon. There was still so much to do and arrange. Hopefully, Aphrodi was more at ease now and would last until he came back.

 _What if he leaves while you’re gone? He’s almost healed anyways...what if Kidou says he’s good to go now?_ Fubuki shook off these unwanted thoughts. Aphrodi wouldn’t just disappear like that…. He quickly finished his meal and set aside the bowls in the kitchen sink. 

“I have to go out now, but I’ll be back tonight and then leave tomorrow morning. I’ll be catching the bus that runs through in the morning to transfer to the airport. Tsunami will give me a ride to the bus station.” 

“OK, take care!” Aphrodi was still working through his lunch. He waved as Fubuki hurried through the living room and exited the house. Putting down the remainder of his food, Aphrodi stared at it. There was no point to eating now that Fubuki wasn’t around. The only reason he ate the prepared meals before was because Fubuki would nag if he didn’t. 

_But he’ll be back tonight, you’ll eat one more meal with him and he’ll nag if you don’t finish your food._ Aphrodi stared at the leftovers a bit longer, then picked up his bowl and chopsticks to finish. The chatter from the TV filled the empty room, the only thing anchoring him down being the weight against his chest. 

\---

The sun rose over distant mountains as Fubuki’s drooping head banged against the rattling bus window. It was far too early in the morning to be doing any sort of traveling, yet in the countryside a bus only came once a day to go to the airport. Unfortunately, the closest stop to him was one of the first few on the route and he’d had to roll out of bed early enough to get in Tsunami’s car and make it to the bus stop. He’d barely had time to give Aphrodi a few reassuring ruffles and pats in bed before sprinting out the door, bags in hand.

 _I hope he’s alright. It’ll be time for him to eat breakfast soon...and then do his morning stretches._ Fubuki fretted over how Aphrodi would do without him for a week. The angel was much older than him and he’d never figured out by how much, but Aphrodi seemed to have been a workaholic in the past. Without the looming pressure of office life he’d reverted to a more amoeba-like existence. He resisted the urge to call home already, having resolved to do so when he arrived at the hotel. There was a long day of travel ahead, mostly complicated by not having quick access to the airport. 

“It’ll be alright,” he whispered to himself, hoping that he could speak truth into existence. “It’s just a short trip.”

\---

Aphrodi laid in bed until he heard a melody ring out from the living room. Bolting up from the futon, he ignored the blankets that fell all around him and rushed towards the beckoning sound. 

“Hello?” He’d skidded to a stop next to the phone and carefully picked up the handset, wedging himself into the small space between boxes to talk.

“Aphrodi? I got to the hotel and I’m settled in. Just wanted to let you know I made it safely.” Fubuki’s voice crackled through the speaker, setting Aphrodi’s heart at ease. 

“That’s great.” He glanced up at the calendar and saw the week that had been marked out in pink highlighter. The frosted window panes next to the calendar showed muted orange and deep blue outside. 

_It’s already nighttime?!_ Aphrodi hadn’t kept track of how long he’d laid in bed, but this was beyond his expectations. 

“Did you eat? And do your stretches?” His wings flicked in and out upon hearing these questions.

“Um...yes,” a little lie wouldn’t hurt, if it put Fubuki’s heart at ease. Unfortunately his tone must’ve been too easy to catch and understand.

“Aphrodi, you can’t spend all day in bed. Make sure to at least eat dinner and do some stretches, OK?” He didn’t miss the worry in Fubuki’s voice and hung his head upon being caught like this. 

“Yeah, I’ll make sure to eat. And stretch.” He reached over and began picking at his feathers. “How’s...Kyoto? A big city?” 

“It’s big,” even without seeing the speaker, he could hear the smile through Fubuki’s soft voice. “It’s quite modern, despite being known to be a traditional city. Maybe one day you can come along and visit a real Japanese city.” 

_One day!_ Aphrodi’s heart leapt at such a proposal, but knew it wouldn’t really be possible… he wasn’t a human after all. Normal human travel methods that relied on IDs would be difficult to get past. 

“Just take lots of pictures! And buy lots of yummy food.” 

Fubuki leaned back on his hotel bed, smiling as he thought about his excitable food-motivated bird.

“Of course, I’ll make sure to bring back good omiyage.” He stifled a yawn and then stretched one arm to his side. It had been a while since he’d slept alone, the bed seemed far too large for just one person. “It’s getting late for me, I have an early day tomorrow. Make sure you eat, alright?”

“OK. I will. Don’t worry about me.” Aphrodi’s voice crackled through his phone speaker. The landline phone was getting old and didn’t pick up sounds as well, but just this was enough. 

“Good, I’ll call you tomorrow, and the day after, too. Take care.” 

“You too, good night.” 

Fubuki sighed and checked his phone calendar one last time. Six more days. He just had to hold out for six more days before he could go home and see his little bird. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Omiyage](https://www.tofugu.com/japan/omiyage/) \- A sort of obligatory gift giving whenever going on trips to bring back for your family/friends/your coworkers/boss. Like a trip tax. A big cultural shift for sure, as I come from one with omiyage culture and my non-Asian company was definitely confused when I showed back up with crackers from a trip haha.  
> \---
> 
> Silly little bird in the kitchen (I took these photos before the update with wings, so I gave him a halo just to denote he's an angel but he sure doesn't have one in reality). 
> 
> [ An entire photoshoot thread](https://twitter.com/kuroekoo/status/1300622139331022848?s=20) that I asked my kind friend to do with me for afufubu. I even built a second house for them in animal crossing, no I don't want to talk about how much time that took.


	9. mochi

Aphrodi finished his meal and carefully set aside the bowls to finish watching the current TV program. He’d wash the dishes later, after resting for a bit. Glancing over to the clock on the wall he saw that it was getting late. Fubuki hadn’t called yet, and it was past the latest time he’d called so far. Four black Xs marked out the number of days that Fubuki had been gone already. Fretting slightly, Aphrodi tried to distract himself by cleaning around the room once the program had ended. 

After washing all the dishes, he checked the fridge and saw that the prepped food was running low. Not a big deal, but Fubuki would worry so Aphrodi made a mental note to cook the rest of whatever was in the fridge tomorrow. Shuffling back to the living room, the wall clock caught his eye again. Ten o’clock...Fubuki normally slept by now. Still no phone call, though. Aphrodi turned off the TV and settled down on the tatami mats next to the landline phone. 

Another hour passed and he turned off the light. Leaving it on would worry the neighbors if they drove by and they’d bother Fubuki when he got back. Curling up next to the phone, Aphrodi waited for the promised call that never came.

\---

A ringing phone alarm cut through Fubuki’s blurry dreams and had him blindly pawing through the sheets to shut off the alarm. Knowing his alarm was set for 5 AM, he tried to remember where he was. The blankets and bed were different enough that upon finding the vibrating phone he recalled that this was Kyoto. Rubbing his eyes, he swung his legs over and began getting ready for another long day of meetings. Yesterday’s had run so late, and then the drinking party and socialization afterwards had completely sapped all his energy. Splashing water onto his face, he didn’t even check the mirror before turning to change his clothes.

\---

Kidou knocked on the heavy wooden door, having seen that Fubuki’s house was near his route today. He’d promised his friend to drop by when he had the chance to check on Aphrodi. No reply came and he glanced down at his wristwatch to check the time. It wasn’t too early in the morning, in fact leaning towards late at 10 AM. After a few more knocks and waiting around, Kidou was getting concerned. He hoisted up the vegetables under his arm and went around through the back garden. A little bit of jiggling the doorknob had the backdoor swinging open for him in a minute. Fubuki never locked his back door. Honestly, no one did around here. Locking the front door was just for show. 

Nothing was on fire or amiss in the cramped kitchen. Dishes had been washed and set aside to dry on the rack. The morning light streamed in and glinted off of pots and pans that were stacked on the stove. Quiet stretched through the house and Kidou put down his vegetables on the counter. Shutting the door behind him, he took off his shoes and headed in through the house. 

The kotatsu was still in the middle of the living room but had been cleaned off. Looking around the room, he nearly missed the huddled lump in the far corner. The mass barely moved, only a soft rustling of feathers against tatami alerted him that this thing was alive….

“Aphrodi?!” Kidou hurried over and cautiously turned over the noiseless mess. Red eyes blinked and stared up at him, then a hand reached up and brushed him off. The angel went back to watching the phone, ignoring him. 

“Wh- OK. At least you’re still alive.” He’d never seen Aphrodi like this. Normally the angel was extremely chatty and trying to feed him some form of citrus. This was outside of all his expectations. 

“I guess...I’ll call Fubuki?” Upon hearing this, Aphrodi shot bolt upright and fluffed his wings out at the same time.

“No! You can’t!” 

“Wh-?! Why not?!” Kidou hadn’t expected such ferocity in Aphrodi’s tone. He nearly dropped his phone as the angel lunged at him. 

“He only said if it’s urgent! I’m waiting!” Theft rendered unsuccessful, Aphrodi went back to guarding the landline phone. Understanding suddenly dawned on Kidou as he took in this situation. Carefully pulling out his phone so Aphrodi wouldn’t notice, he texted Fubuki as the angel settled down in place on the mats. For extra effect, Kidou snapped a photo of the situation and sent it along.

* * *

Kidou: Fubuki, did you forget to call home last night.

Kidou: Aphrodi’s suffering

Kidou: [Picture Attached]

Kidou: Call when you can I don’t think he’s moved all night.

Kidou: I left him some vegetables in the kitchen.

* * *

“Hey, Aphrodi,” Kidou gently tried to cajole the despondent angel. “Fubuki will call you when he can. I left you some vegetables in the kitchen, OK? If something comes up, call me even if it isn’t urgent and let me know. I’ll come by.” No reply came but he knew Aphrodi had heard and understood it. 

“I have to go now, but just let me know if anything comes up.” Kidou repeated before poking Aphrodi one more time and getting swatted at. Satisfied that the angel still had some life in him, Kidou got up and exited out the back door again. Fubuki hadn’t read his texts yet, but he’d follow up later in the day. For now, Gouenji’s cows had some sort of hoof problem and he had to go treat it.

\---

A series of vibrations came from his phone in the middle of the conference. Unable to check while attending today’s lecture series, Fubuki figured it couldn’t be very important. The group chat was always buzzing with notifications and he only checked it when needed. Although it was a bit early in the day to have this much texting activity, since everyone was still at work. 

By the time lunch rolled around, he’d nearly forgotten about the random slew of notifications. There was a nice ramen store nearby and he stopped within to eat a quick meal for lunch. Sitting at the counter while holding his ticket, Fubuki finally pulled out his phone, only to have his heart nearly stop upon seeing the message ID.

 _Kidou?! Oh god what happened?!_ He swiped open the message app and the texts came flooding in. Blood drained from his face as he recalled how late last night had gone. How he’d stumbled back to the hotel room only to collapse in the bed. It had been so late, he’d completely forgotten to call Aphrodi. A shaky finger tapped open the attached photo and he waited for it to download. 

“Here you go!” A bowl of ramen was set down in front of him, startling him out of his frantic haze. 

“Ah, thank you.” Fubuki hurriedly nodded at the server before begging the photo to load faster. His heart wrenched upon seeing the grainy image of the forlorn angel curled up next to the old landline phone. Glancing around in a panic, he realized there was no good way for him to leave his chair open and make a call in such a busy restaurant. Fubuki resolved to finish the bowl as fast as he could and call home. Luckily he still had some time, as the last lecture had let out early so the next meeting was about an hour out. Scarfing down the ramen, he managed to finish in record time and spilled out onto the street while simultaneously attempting to dial home on his phone.

Within the first ring, a harsh click sounded and a quiet voice answered.

“Fubuki?”

“Aphrodi, I’m so sorry. Last night the conference ran late and I completely forgot to call home. I’m fine, are you OK?” 

Silence answered his question, the only indication of an open line being the slight crackle from the old landline phone. 

“Aphrodi?”

“Yeah. I’m OK.” 

Fubuki could tell just from the tone that Aphrodi was really _not_ OK. There was no way for him to comfort the angel without being there in person, though. 

“I’ll be home soon. I’m really sorry. If I don’t call you, then call me, OK?”

“You said only if it’s urgent.” 

There was some accusation in this statement, and Fubuki bit his lip upon recalling his initial instructions. 

“I was in the wrong. I didn’t think this would happen. I don’t want you to stay up all night like this again and worry over me. Just call me, and if I can’t pick up, at least I have a record that you called me so I’ll be reminded to call back. You not hearing from me is something urgent.”

Some more silence answered him again, and then he heard a soft sigh.

“OK. I guess this counts for today.”

“I’ll call you again tonight!” Fubuki hurriedly tried to reassure his little bird. “This doesn’t count, and if I don’t, then call me!” 

“Alright.”

His heart twisted over hearing such a curt reply. Looking up from the concrete pavement, Fubuki registered that noon was almost over.

“I have to go now, I’m sorry. There’s another long series of lectures today, but I’ll talk to you tonight, OK?”

“Mhm, take care, Fubuki.” 

“I will! Talk to you soon.”

In the end, Fubuki was the one that had to hang up first. He wandered back to the conference hall in a daze and sank down into one of the plastic lobby chairs to ruefully ruffle his hair. This was a whole mess now, all because of his strict instructions and forgetfulness. Holding up his phone again, he checked the calendar. Three more days until he could go home again, and for once he had someone waiting for him. Other attendees began streaming into the lobby and he got up to join them, plastering a smile on his face to hide the uneasiness in his heart.

The sky was dark by the time he came back to his hotel room. Stars weren’t visible in the city, crowded out by the flashing urban lights and perpetual nightlife here. Fubuki was starting to miss the quiet of his home, with only the sounds of nature outside. Settling against the bed, he pulled out his phone and plugged it into the charger before dialing home. Barely a ring had sounded before the line connected with a click.

“Fubuki?” Aphrodi’s voice called out to him, he could hear the worry underlying the question.

“Yes, it’s me.” He felt a smile appear on his face, despite how tired he felt from the entire day. Hearing his little bird’s voice seemed to shed all his worries in one breath. 

“Busy day?” 

Fubuki could only imagine how Aphrodi must be right now, curled up with a handset to his ear on the old tatami mats. His white wings would probably be draped loosely around his body, pushing up against the hanten. 

“Yeah, it’s just been a bunch of lectures all day. We sit in a big room and listen to some experts talk. Today’s was about crop branding and how we can extend the reach of our farms to beyond just Japan. It’s interesting because Hokkaido is already known for its farming, but our little town has to compete against just the general Hokkaido branding to attract more interest to our specific area…” Fubuki trailed off, then realized he’d just been infodumping to Aphrodi. “Oh...this is probably boring to you, sorry.”

“It’s fine. I like hearing your voice.”

_Does he realize what we’re acting like right now? Or is this just normal to him?_ Heat spread across his own cheeks. He’d pushed the whole dating thing out of his mind, writing it off as a slight fever dream. This, though, whatever Aphrodi had been trying to achieve by forcing them together might just be working. They already felt like a couple with how much Aphrodi was on his mind. The daily calls were just a cherry on top.

“Fubuki? Did you fall asleep?”

“Ah. No, sorry. Just a bit tired,” he began to stand up, then remembered the charging cord was still connected. Sitting back down, he remembered Kidou’s texts.

“Kidou left you some vegetables, right? Did you cook them? Have you been eating and doing your stretches?”

“Yeahhhh.” The slight whine in Aphrodi’s voice caused Fubuki to involuntarily let loose a giggle. This was the little bird he knew so well, a bit childish at times.

“Are you laughing at me?!” 

Fubuki could just imagine the indignant look Aphrodi must have right now, along with matching ruffled wings. 

“No, no, I’m laughing at thin air,” he tried to reassure the petulant angel, but only served to make himself laugh even more. “No, really, it’s not you, I’ve had a long day, and it’s nice to hear you, too.” Wiping away some tears, he settled back against the side of the bed. 

“That makes me happy to hear that.” Aphrodi’s softened voice came through the speaker. “Are you busy again tomorrow? You should sleep soon.”

“Ah. Tomorrow I think we’re actually going around a bit, should be a looser schedule although I’m not sure what. Maybe to visit some of the famous sites around here and see how they attract tourists….” Fubuki suppressed a yawn, trying to keep quiet so Aphrodi wouldn’t notice.

“Take lots of photos, I want to see them when you’re back.” 

_He’ll be there when I get back, waiting for me._

“Mhm, I will.” Another yawn this time, and his head was starting to droop, but Fubuki didn't want to put down the phone just yet. 

“It’s late. You should sleep, you mentioned before that you have to get up super early.” 

Suddenly his little angel was a chivalrous prince. Fubuki couldn’t get rid of the smile on his face, as he listened to Aphrodi over the phone.

“Of course, of course. I’ll call you tomorrow, then.”

“Goodnight, Fubuki.”

“Goodnight, Aphrodi.” 

This time, Aphrodi hung up first. The empty dial tone beeped briefly before his phone hung up as well. He stared at the glowing screen, then swiped to open the photo album. Pictures from that snowy day played across the little window into the past. There were other photos as well, from when Aphrodi had stolen his phone and gone on a little photo-taking adventure. Pictures of his house, of the garden, the same kotatsu table in blurry focus. Suddenly, Fubuki was glad he had all these photos to remind him of home. Scrolling through, he stopped at another photo that was new. Aphrodi had evidently mastered the art of the selfie and taken one with Fubuki cooking in the background. The fool of an angel was making a heart with his thumb and forefinger, winking as he took the photo. 

_It’s recent…_. The photo was only from about a week ago, causing his sleepy self to wake up to certain possibilities. 

“What am I thinking, he’s an angel and I’m a human,” Fubuki muttered as he put down his phone and went to take a quick shower. These feelings could wait until he saw Aphrodi again.

\---

Unnatural heat beat down from above as Fubuki wandered around the old town streets. Fanning himself with a paper brochure, he was reminded by the fact that Kyoto was closer to the equator than Hokkaido. Everyone else seemed fine, but he was used to much cooler weather than this. After a few interviews and walkthroughs of certain famous stores, the group was given a few hours to just tour the area. It was a perfect time to pick up omiyage and Fubuki didn’t hesitate with this opportunity. 

Strolling along the narrow street, a flash of color caught his eye from one of the open shop fronts. Drawing closer, he saw that it was a store selling yukata and kimono along with various accessories. The one on display was a woman’s yukata, evidently promoting the coming of summer. The cloth of the yukata was a brilliant red, punctuated by random arrangements of large stylized flowers blooming in orange, pink, and white. It was modern-styled and had gold lace running along the collar to accentuate whatever undergarment was used. The obi was a unique white and gold checked pattern, drawing attention to the waist. 

_All the yukata at home are solid colored or boring patterns,_ Fubuki thought as he gazed up at the mannequin display. Aphrodi would definitely complain if he had to wear such drab ones out and about. The colors on this yukata matched the angel so well, but it was a woman’s cut….

“Welcome! How can I help you?” A peppy voice interrupted his thoughts and he turned to see the shop clerk approaching him. Before he could even answer, she launched into a sales pitch.

“We’re holding a special deal this week! If you buy an obi and yukata set, we’ll also gift a matching basket bag of similar color. Great for summer festival browsing!” She picked up the brown basket bag next to the mannequin that had a red drawstring bag in it to show Fubuki.

“Ah…” he was trying to figure out an excuse to back out of this unexpected conversation. 

“And this set on display is our most popular one for the upcoming summer season! It’s nearly sold out. The price is very affordable as well, and goes down the more accessories you buy with it. It’s a good deal!” An informative paper was shoved into his hands and he looked at the cost breakdown. It really wasn’t that bad of a price, and Aphrodi was thin enough that he’d be able to fit in the woman’s yukata…. If the angel found out Fubuki had passed on getting something so pretty at such a good price he’d definitely throw a fit. The mental image was enough to bring a smile to his face as he glanced back up at the colorful outfit. 

“Actually...could I get the one on display with the same obi?” He could already imagine Aphrodi’s reaction upon getting such a nice gift. Probably so excited he wouldn’t be able to keep his wings still.

“Of course! A gift for your girlfriend?” The friendly clerk smiled at him as she opened up a drawer under the display to pull out a new set for him.

“Ah…” Fubuki blushed, unsure of how to answer this question. “Not really my _girlfriend_ …”

“Well it’s a nice gift for any girl, regardless! It’ll definitely have her falling in love with you if that’s the case. Would you like me to gift wrap it?”

“Oh. Yes please. Also, do you have any light-colored haori?” Fubuki followed the shop girl in to take a look at the selection. He’d keep this a surprise from Aphrodi until he got back home. He wanted to see the reaction in person, it wasn’t enough to just hear Aphrodi’s voice over the phone. 

\---

“Thanks, Tsunami. Here, take this for you and Tachimukai,” Fubuki handed over a nicely wrapped box of mochi. 

“Oh, thanks! Tachimukai’s going to love this. He’s been busy with all the new students. You’d think we wouldn’t have so many because our town is small but I swear there’s more every year!” Tsunami reached over in the car and took the box, setting it down in the now-empty passenger’s seat. “How’s Aphrodi doing? He was alone the whole time, right?”

“I’ve been calling him regularly. He’s doing well. Probably excited for me to come home-”

“Fubuki!!!!!!” The front door banged open as an excited angel nearly flew out, then saw that Tsunami was still there. 

“Ah!” Aphrodi ducked back inside and then stuck his head out through the doorframe. “Welcome back!!!!”

“Hi Aphrodi!” Tsunami waved over at him from the driver’s seat, then turned to address Fubuki. “Looks like he can’t wait to see you! I’ll take my leave now. The summer festival’s coming up soon, so there’s lots of prep to do!” 

“Oh, right. Thank you again, Tsunami.” Fubuki picked up his bags and watched as his friend backed out and drove off with a wave and a wink. Pretending not to see the wink, Fubuki turned to go inside his house. He barely made it three steps before a pair of warm hands grabbed his. 

“Here, let me help!” Aphrodi smiled down at him, golden hair sparkling in the afternoon sun. The weariness of travel shed off of him upon being greeted with such enthusiasm. Fubuki let go of a bag, thinking that was what Aphrodi wanted. The angel used one hand and grabbed the bag, but kept his other hand linked with Fubuki’s. Dragging him in through the front door, Fubuki had to dig in his heels before tripping over the genkan with shoes on. 

“Aphrodi! Wait!” He laughed while trying to kick off his shoes. “I have to take off my shoes!” 

“Oh.” Aphrodi pouted, then grabbed the other bags Fubuki was holding and went to dump them in the living room. He came back holding Fubuki’s slippers and set them down next to the struggling salaryman. 

“Thanks,” Fubuki breathlessly acknowledged this while reaching behind him to shut the front door. Aphrodi’s feathers were still peeking out under the hanten, pure white brushing against the muted wool kimono. He straightened and looked the waiting angel in the eye, remembering what he’d wanted to say out loud for so long.

“I’m home.” 

Aphrodi’s returning smile was so radiant, the sight made Fubuki’s heart melt a bit further. Grasping his angel’s hand, they walked back together to the living room. The TV was off, unusual for this time of the day. Aphrodi pounced on the large paper bag that contained most of the omiyage. Fubuki had been expecting this and had actually hidden Aphrodi’s special gift away in his duffle bag. 

“Don’t go opening those at random, they’re mostly for specific people.” Fubuki cautioned the overeager angel, reaching over to pull on the hanten sleeve. “These ones are for us.” He carefully pulled out several differently wrapped boxes and placed them on the tatami. 

“What are these ones? There’s no labels!” Aphrodi pushed the boxes around, trying to hear the contents. 

“This one’s mochi - but a special triangular-shaped one. This one is yatsuhashi - it’s like a special type of sweet cookie in the shape of a bridge. And the last one here is a selection of different senbei - those rice crackers you like to lick soy sauce off of.” His hand brushed against the neat wrapping paper, all with traditional Japanese patterning over them. 

“Oh!! I want to start with the mochi! I think I saw it on TV once.” Aphrodi began to pick up the box and peel at the edge before stopping and looking at Fubuki. “Um. If that’s OK with you.” 

Fubuki laughed and nodded for him to go ahead.

“Since when did you get so polite again?” He reached over and helped undo the wrapping as Aphrodi had been struggling with it. Pulling out the slim paper box, he handed it back to the waiting angel while pushing the wrapping paper aside. Aphrodi was quiet, turning the box slightly in his hands.

“Aphrodi?” Fubuki furrowed his brows, worried that after the initial excitement had worn off he’d find out that the angel was actually not doing so well. “Are you not feeling well?”

“No, um…” Aphrodi ran his finger along the edge of the box, then pushed it off his lap without opening it. 

“Aphrodi?!” Fubuki was really worried now, he’d never seen Aphrodi turn away food. _Especially_ not mochi. He moved closer and reached towards the quiet angel, aiming to check forehead temperature. Aphrodi ducked under his searching hand and then suddenly embraced him in a tight hug.

“Wh-what’s wrong?!” His hands were now stuck up in the air, unsure of where to go. Aphrodi’s warmth seeped through to him but the angel remained quiet, snuggling in a bit as he breathed. Fubuki carefully lowered his hands onto Aphrodi’s back and slowly patted it while waiting for his little bird to speak.

“I missed you.” 

So quiet, he would’ve missed it if the TV was on. Fubuki stared at the silent TV, then realized that it must have been off so Aphrodi could easily hear when he came home. His heart skipped a beat and his attention turned back to the mess of blonde hair next to him. Running a hand through the long locks, he resumed rubbing the angel’s back.

“Me too.”

It was the truth. There was some worry with leaving Aphrodi alone, but more than that he’d been...lonely in their time apart. He listened to the sounds of the countryside that punctuated the silence in the room. Wind brushed against outer walls and small creatures ran along under the house. In the end, he still felt more at ease in the nature-filled lands of rural Hokkaido. Aphrodi nuzzled deeper into his shoulder, not wanting to separate anytime soon. Fubuki felt the same, but he still wanted to see a certain reaction.

“Aphrodi. Don’t you want to open up the rest of the gifts?” He decided to take the diplomatic route and bait the angel out. 

“Not really,” came the muffled reply from his shoulder. 

“Really? Even if I have a special gift just for you?” 

This got Aphrodi’s interest, and he shifted and leaned back from Fubuki’s shoulder. Red eyes narrowed and gauged the look on the innocent traveler’s face.

“What do you mean by that?”

“If you let go of me, I can get it out for you,” Fubuki teased. Aphrodi hesitated, looking around to try and guess where it was. Upon being faced with the mess of bags, he acquiesced and reluctantly slunk to the side to lie in wait. Fubuki dragged over the duffel bag, then took out a brightly wrapped package and set it in front of the suspicious angel.

“Can I...open it?” Aphrodi peered at it, trying to guess what it was without even touching it.

“Yes, it’s a little gift for you.” Fubuki sat back, trying to restrain himself from looking too excited. Aphrodi struggled less with the wrapping paper this time, but eventually gave up and ripped it open. He gasped upon seeing just a glimpse of the inner contents: a flash of brilliant red and gold. Working with even more zeal, he quickly peeled aside the remainder of the paper and held the folded new yukata in his hands. Such bright red, with gold details and gorgeous floral patterning…. Without even waiting for Fubuki’s permission, he opened the plastic packaging and pulled out the yukata that unfolded onto the tatami mats. The new obi fell to the side as well, patterned gold glinting in the yellow light of the room. 

“It’s so pretty!” Lifting it up against himself, Aphrodi stared down at it, then eagerly smiled at Fubuki who only smiled back. The crisp cotton felt cool against his hands and the flowers seemed to jump straight out of the cloth. Fubuki dug around in his duffel bag, then pulled out the basket bag. It hadn’t fit inside the gift wrap so he’d just brought it back separately. 

“This, too. A matching set.” He placed it in front of Aphrodi whose red eyes sparkled upon seeing it. 

“It’ll be useful when you go to the summer festival. Along with _that_ , it’ll hide your wings.” Fubuki pointed at another slim plastic package that had fallen to the side in the unpackaging frenzy. Aphrodi pounced on it and carefully pulled out a yellow and red patterned haori. His whole face lit up with the realization that he didn’t have to live in the dreary black one anymore. 

“Is this all for me?!” He couldn’t believe it, this many new clothes! Fubuki wasn’t the type to spend money on clothing, so this was completely unexpected. 

“Mhm,” Fubuki smiled watching all of this. Simply content because Aphrodi was so happy right now. “I figured you’d need something for summer...and I saw this in a shop front and thought it suited you. It’s a woman’s yukata but I figured you wouldn’t mind since all the mens’ ones were so drab…”

“I don’t mind at all!” Aphrodi half wrapped the yukata around him, but was unable to get it much further due to his wings being in the way. He pouted, trying to fold his wings closer to get a better fit. “It’s such a shame I can’t make my wings go away...I don’t want to cut it. It’s so pretty….”

“It’s fine,” Fubuki reached over and ran his hand along the edge of the new yukata. “I bought it for you, after all.” Aphrodi reached forward and grasped his hand, entwining their fingers together as he grinned at Fubuki. 

“Thank you, Fubuki! I love you!”

Fubuki’s heart seemed to stop in that moment, his own cold palm pressed against Aphrodi’s soft and warm one. 

_Love._

Curious red eyes gazed at him. Then Aphrodi tilted his head, trying to gauge why Fubuki had suddenly stiffened up. Long golden hair trailed down and tumbled along the red yukata, displaying itself as golden streaks on the bright cloth. In just a split second, Fubuki took in the entire situation around him and, for once, his own emotions. 

_Love._

“Of course, Aphrodi.” He smiled back, willing himself to act natural. The angel seemed to buy his response and leaned in to lie on his lap. 

“Now show me photos from the trip! Oh! While I eat mochi!” Splayed on the ground with new clothes all over him, Aphrodi turned to the side and tried to fish over the abandoned omiyage box. Fubuki’s hand hovered in the air, then he drew it close and subtly rubbed his own chest. 

“I want a day-by-day play!” Victorious with the box in hand, Aphrodi pried it open and kicked his feet while trying to pick which mochi to start from. They were all the same, but this was still an important decision. 

“Ah. Yes, yes.” Fubuki pulled out his phone and started with the first day. Aphrodi leaned in while offering him a mochi piece. There was a lot to go through. Seven whole days of unknown in which Fubuki had been apart from him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Genkan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genkan) \- Recessed entryway before the main house, where one takes the shoes off. Great place to trip over in a hurry and knock your ankles real bad on in dim lighting.  
> [Yatsuhashi](https://www.justonecookbook.com/yatsuhashi/) \- Triangular thin mochi that contains red bean paste! So easy to eat, so easy to overeat.... A very popular Kyoto souvenir.  
> [Senbei](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senbei) \- Japanese rice cracker, covered with a savory sauce and sometimes seaweed as well. Extremely crispy, try eating this in a crowded and quiet lecture hall and immediately hear the crunch echo across the room at 50000 decibels. Totally not from personal experience.  
> \---
> 
> Aphrodi after figuring out how a phone works.


	10. taiyaki

“Aphrodi! Fubuki! Over here!” 

The two of them turned from where they’d parked to see a familiar gaggle of girls waving excitedly at them. Their colorful yukatas contrasted sharply with the dimming sky above. Rika was wearing a bright blue one with yellow flowers strewn across the print. Touko’s yukata was pink and red floral patterned, contrasting nicely with the large black drawstring bag she held. Aki’s yukata was striped white and mint with soft blue and purple hydrangeas blooming across it, matching her light blue obi. All of them had their hair done up with separate accessories for the occasion. Like a true gal, Rika had more accessories in her hair than should be humanly possible. 

Aphrodi hurried over and admired their outfits. He’d gotten dressed with Fubuki’s help, but other than the new set they’d had nothing else to add on. Fubuki had attempted to do Aphrodi’s hair to put the hana kanzashi from hanami in, but they’d quickly given up after one too many accidental scalp stabbings. Aphrodi’s long hair hung loose over the crisp new haori, catching on the slightly rough weave. 

“Aphrodi! You look great!” Rika squealed upon seeing the full outfit, having expected the poor boy to turn up in some drab navy yukata. “I have to take a photo!”

“Rika! Wait until we do his hair,” Touko waved her hand in front of Rika’s face, snapping her out of ikemen mode. Aki giggled on the side, putting down her bag in the open trunk of Rika’s car. 

“Oh! You’ll do my hair again?” Aphrodi gratefully came closer. He glanced back and saw that Fubuki had stopped to adjust his own obi. For once, he’d worn traditional clothing in the spirit of the summer festival. Fubuki’s yukata was a simple blue and grey wash, but it was still nice to see him in something different. 

“Of course! Fubuki let us know you guys were having trouble. No small wonder considering that man probably owns only one comb in the whole house!” Touko laughed and grasped Aphrodi’s shoulders to sit him down on the side of the trunk. The girls descended on him again, chatting about what would go best with his new yukata. Bobby pins and hair ties flashed across his vision before Aphrodi had to shut his eyes to avoid being poked a few times. He waited until all the activity had stopped before slowly opening his eyes. 

Just like last time, a pocket mirror was held up for him to see. This time they’d looped a braid up over his head, pinning it right above his front and side bangs. There was more hair left loose in the back to give a resemblance of a bird’s nest as the braid wound around it. His nape was left free to the air again but trailing red kanzashi tickled against it. 

“This one’s so pretty! Aki, did you make this one, too?” He reached up and brushed against the blossoming red and yellow flowers shaped like chrysanthemum flowers. 

“Yes,” Aki adjusted the pins a bit and grinned at him. “It’s a bit out of season, but I thought it matched best with your new yukata.”

“Seasons?” Aphrodi didn’t know that the flowers had different meanings. They all just looked pretty to him and that’s all that mattered.

“Different months have different flowers!” Aki enthused, patting her own updo. “But we don’t wear these often enough to really pay attention to these things. I just like to wear whatever matches my outfit.”

“That looks nice on you.” Fubuki’s voice cut through the conversation. Aphrodi turned to see him leaning against the side of the car and smiling softly. His eyes were watching Aphrodi, marking who the compliment was for. 

“Fubuki! Here, take a photo of all of us.” Rika shoved her phone into Fubuki’s hand, then turned to gather the group into a pose. Aphrodi was sandwiched between Aki and Touko as they smiled and held up peace signs for the photo. After enough photos had been taken for the demanding gal, they began walking as a group towards the festival street.

“Where’s everyone else?” Aphrodi asked as he pressed up against Fubuki. He’d been expecting the usual group to show up, but none of the guys were there. 

“They’re setting up for the festival! Actually, Rika and I have to go soon, too. We just ducked out to say hi.” Touko pulled open her drawstring bag and showed Aphrodi the sashes within. They’d be used to tie up their sleeves later when working. “We’re helping Tsunami run some of the food stands. He’s got it all set up but we gotta cook.” 

“Food!” Aphrodi’s eyes lit up and he began to walk faster. Fubuki reached out and grasped his arm to keep him from straying too far.

“They still have a while to go,” Fubuki informed the excitable little bird with slight amusement. “Let’s go check out the game booths first.” 

“Games!!!” The angel was about to go nuts from all these possibilities, and he hadn’t even seen the actual festival venue yet. Touko and Rika left to take a back path to get to their food stand first. Aki hid a smile while watching Fubuki try to wrangle Aphrodi close.

Walking through the nearby bushes, they cut through and entered the main festival street. Aphrodi gazed around at how this normally plain walkway had been transformed. Red lanterns hung from above, ready to light up the street when night fell. Wooden stalls had been set up shoulder-to-shoulder, lining both sides of the walkway. They’d arrived at the side with game booths and a variety of traditional games greeted them. 

“This is your first time, right Aphrodi?” Aki skipped ahead then turned to face the two of them. 

“Yeah! What’s that? Are those real?!” Aphrodi pointed at a large plastic kiddie pool that was filled with goldfish that were darting through the water. A gaggle of children already surrounded it, trying to catch goldfish with paper and metal nets. 

“Yep! You should try, Aphrodi!” Aki went over to the booth and saw a familiar head of pink hair. “Oh! Tsunami!”

“Oh hi!” Tsunami grinned up at them. “You guys here to give goldfish scooping a try? As a special treat, I’ll let mister foreigner over there try one scoop for free.” He pulled out a paper net and handed it to Aphrodi who carefully took it in his hand. Fubuki declined a net and Aki got a metal one.

“Why’s yours metal?” Aphrodi asked as they settled down on stools around the plastic pool. 

“I’m just playing for fun,” Aki explained as she handed a small plastic basin to him. “This is just to see how many I can scoop up within a time limit that Tsunami will keep track of. If you get any with the paper scoop, though, you can take that one home!”

“I can take one of these home?!” 

Fubuki was a bit disconcerted by the predator-ish glint that had appeared in Aphrodi’s eye. Sometimes he wondered how much part bird the angel’s brain was. Aphrodi pushed the scoop into the water and instantly broke it before even getting close to a goldfish. Mouth agape, he turned to look at Fubuki in shock while holding up the soggy metal frame. Unable to help himself, Fubuki burst out in laughter at this sight.

“You moved too fast!” Clutching his stomach, Fubuki managed to calm down after a few more fits of laughter and pulled out his wallet. “Alright, alright, I’ll buy you another. Just try again.”

“Oh wow, that was fast!” Tsunami happily accepted the money and handed him another paper net. “The trick is to move it parallel into the water. Ease it in. Then try and flip a goldfish up with it into your basin. Oh Aki, your time’s almost up!” Aphrodi turned to see that almost all of the goldfish had been herded into Aki’s basin, much to the disappointment of the nearby children. 

“Think I’ve lost my touch a bit, I used to be able to get them all within three minutes,” she remarked with a sigh while releasing all the goldfish back into the larger pool. “That was fun, though!” 

“You sure you’re not a fishing god?” Aphrodi asked in awe. Fubuki had to stifle another laugh, knowing exactly what Aphrodi’s life occupation was. 

“I’ve just been coming to these festivals for a long time!” Aki protested. “Here, I’ll help you with using the paper net.” Aphrodi snatched his hand back before she could take the net from his hand.

“No, I want to try it myself,” he asserted. Carefully following Tsunami’s instructions, he spotted a sparkling orange goldfish and honed in on it. Slipping the net under the water surface, he glided it to right below the slow-moving goldfish and then pulled the entire net upwards. Sensing imminent danger, the goldfish tried to dart to the side but was caught against the flat paper. 

“Yes!” Aphrodi pulled faster, but his sudden exertion of force caused the water suction to break the paper apart. A hole opened in the middle and the goldfish dropped through and swam free. 

“Oh…” Everyone stared at his torn net. Fubuki pulled out some more money and passed it to Tsunami without saying a single word. 

“You moved up a tad too fast,” Tsunami cautioned while pulling out another net. “Here-oh!” Fubuki took the net this time, then grabbed the basin from Aphrodi’s lap. Everyone leaned in, curious as to how the Hokkaido native would approach this challenge. He surveyed all the fish, then focused on a little black goldfish wiggling along the side of the pool. Target acquired, he waited until it was close, then slid the paper net into the water. Moving out of the fish’s view so it wouldn’t be startled away, Fubuki positioned the net underneath, then moved the basin close. With one deft flick of his wrist, he bounced the goldfish into the waiting basin. Both Aphrodi and Aki gasped in surprise at this sight. 

“Wow! Your net’s still intact, too! Go for as many as you want.” Tsunami crossed his arms, impressed with this display of skill. 

“Ah.” The net was wet already, making it difficult for Fubuki to pull this off again. Searching around, he spotted an orange goldfish that was similar to the one from Aphrodi’s second attempt. Edging closer to it, he tried to flip it up again, but it broke through the already soggy paper net. 

“Sorry,” Fubuki apologized to Aphrodi who looked back at him with radiant eyes.

“Sorry?! What are you sorry for? That was amazing!” Aphrodi accepted the newly cinched plastic bag that contained a little black goldfish in it. It spun at the end of a plastic loop, reflecting the bright lights all around them. 

“I wanted to get you an orange one…”

“Just getting one is plenty cool!” He held up the sparkling bag and stared at it, fascinated by how the little fish moved in the water. “I could’ve spent all day here and gotten nothing.” 

“With practice, you’ll get it.” Fubuki responded with a smile as he got up from his stool. “Although we don’t have anywhere to keep a goldfish. Or at least give it a good life. Aki, would you like this one? I know you have a fishtank….”

“Oh sure! As long as Aphrodi is OK with it.” She glanced over at the fascinated foreigner who snapped back into reality upon hearing his name. “You’re welcome to visit it anytime and see all my other fish, too!”

“That sounds fun!” Aphrodi handed her the goldfish bag. “If Fubuki says so, I think you’d give it a better home.” 

“I’ll be sure to take care of it,” she happily answered. “It’ll grow nice and big at my house!” Carefully tucking it into her basket bag, she pulled out her phone and checked the time. 

“Oh! I think the food stalls are all ready now. Let’s go before they sell out.” 

“Sell out? There’s enough people for food to get sold out?” Aphrodi asked Fubuki in confusion as they passed by the rest of the game stalls. 

“We have some big eaters here,” Fubuki replied as he guided the curious angel along. “Now let me know what you want and-”

“Oh wow! Hi Rika! Hi Touko!” Aphrodi ran ahead once he spotted two familiar faces. They were standing at joined stalls, one side selling okonomiyaki and the other side selling takoyaki. A line had already formed and Aki quickly stepped into it to hold their spot while Aphrodi took a quick peek at the sizzling grill plates. 

“Aphrodi! Come back over here!” Fubuki called his hungry bird back to his hand. The line moved quickly, and soon they were at the front. 

“Hi!!!! Welcome, Aphrodi!” Touko beamed at him while expertly spearing plump takoyaki into a paper boat. “How much would you like?”

“We’ll take eight of the takoyaki, and one okonomiyaki,” Fubuki interrupted as he pulled out his wallet. “Aki, would you like to share with us or?”

“I’m OK on my own!” Aki had her own coin pouch out. “I’d probably eat what you ordered all by myself. It’s best if you share with Aphrodi so he can get a taste of everything here.”

“Only eight?” Aphrodi sadly asked as he took the laden paper boat from Fubuki. He picked up a wooden skewer and ate one before Fubuki had even finished paying.

“There’s plenty more food - I don’t want you getting full before even seeing the rest.” Fubuki pocketed his change and balanced the okonomiyaki container in his other hand. “Don’t eat all that yourself, leave half for me.”

“OK….” Aphrodi put the skewer back down, having been poking a fifth takoyaki. Four were already gone from the paper boat. 

“Really now,” Fubuki shoved the okonomiyaki container into Aphrodi’s hands, switching out the available food. “Only half of that, too.”

“Fine.” He nibbled at the okonomiyaki, watching with envy as Aki ate a whole one by herself. Looking around, he read the bright calligraphy letters that spanned the banners of each stall. 

“Fubuki!” 

“Yes?” Fubuki looked up from where he’d been trying to eat the last few takoyaki. Aphrodi had scarfed down half the okonomiyaki already and was pointing at another stall with a bright orange and black banner.

“I want to try that! Yakisoba!” Without even waiting, the angel began to head in that direction. 

“Aphrodi! Agh.” He hurriedly ate the last few pieces and began to run before realizing that the yukata sort of restricted knee movement. Shuffling quickly, he didn’t understand how Aphrodi could move so quickly when wearing the same thing. Aki followed along, recognizing whose booth this was.

Gouenji stood behind the booth, arms crossed with a metal spatula in each hand as he waited for the current batch of yakisoba to finish cooking. A sign next to him had spice level indications, along with bottles of hot sauce for sale. 

“Oh! Gouenji, hello!” Aphrodi recognized the silent man who had gone back to checking if the noodles were done yet. “Are we the first ones here?”

“Yeah, everyone else is late.” There was just a hint of sarcasm, but Fubuki still quickly pulled out his wallet.

“We’ll take one plate. Farm’s running fine without you right now?” He watched as Gouenji expertly portioned off a hearty amount of yakisoba and then scooped it into a plastic container. Glancing up at Aphrodi, the fiery cook added another set of chopsticks before passing it over. 

“Feel free to add whatever level of spice you want.” He pointed at the assorted rack of small glass bottles with a spatula. “Yeah, it’ll do fine for one night. Yuuka wanted to come to the festival, then Tsunami heard and roped me into this booth.” 

“I’ll take a plate, too!” Aki moved around Aphrodi who was currently gauging all the different hot sauces. Completing the transaction, she stood back to watch Gouenji cook, then suddenly gave a small gasp. All three men turned to stare at her while she fumbled around in her basket bag. 

“I totally forgot! I meant to take festival photos for the town blog!” She pulled out a small handheld camera and held it up. “Ahhh! I better get on it before it gets too late and the dark makes it hard to take photos.” Turning to face the yakisoba booth, she looked up at Gouenji pleadingly.

“Can I start with you? I’ll take a few photos then move on around the festival - oh.” She looked over at Fubuki and Aphrodi who were still watching her. “I’m sorry, I’ll have to leave you two for the rest of the festival….”

“That’s fine!” Aphrodi waved at her with a pair of chopsticks. “I’m still having lots of fun with _just_ Fubuki. Oh, but, your kanzashi.” He reached up to begin removing it for her but she hurriedly waved at him to stop.

“Oh no, no, you can keep that one too! Really, it’s fine. I make way too many of those.” Accepting the container of yakisoba and ensuing photo permission, she snapped away at the booth, then turned and snapped a photo of an unprepared Fubuki and Aphrodi. 

“Happy festival goers! Alright, I’m going to go back to the game section and take some photos there. Don’t miss the fireworks time later!” She turned and hurried back, leaving the three men still awkwardly standing at the yakisoba booth. 

“I don’t...think I want to add any hot sauce.” Fubuki quietly muttered to Aphrodi who nodded in agreement. Waving goodbye to Gouenji, the two of them continued strolling down the slowly crowding street. Humidity permeated the air, made worse by the steam and smoke given off by all the food stands. Fubuki flapped his hand weakly, trying to give himself a bit of a breeze. Unsuccessful in doing so, he looked over to see Aphrodi absolutely living life while munching on yakisoba. 

“Aren’t you hot?” He took the rest of the yakisoba and eyed the yellow and orange haori. 

“Hm? I suppose I am,” golden eyelashes were batted in his direction. Fubuki quickly looked away, focusing instead on the path in front of him. 

“Aw, Fubuki. Sorry.” The last line was spoken so softly, he only processed it when Aphrodi was already standing in front of another booth. 

“Aphrodi-” Fubuki started to clarify his feelings when a friendly face peeked out from below the banner. 

“Oh, hi Fubuki! Hi Aphrodi! I almost didn’t recognize you because of your hair and yukata! That one’s very nice, is it new?” Tachimukai waved at them, happi sleeve flapping over the grill below him. Neat rows of taiyaki molds lined the booth table. Without even looking away, he reached down and flipped a mold over. 

“Yeah! Fubuki got it for me in Kyoto!” Aphrodi twirled once to show off the entire outfit. Kanzashi swaying from the movement caught Fubuki’s eye, drawing his attention to some wisps of hair that had escaped and were sticking to Aphrodi’s pale nape. A slight sheen of sweat like dewdrops decorated the peach fuzz there. 

_I suppose he’s fine with heat but not cold_ , Fubuki thought as he realized the talkative bird had stopped complaining about the weather of late. 

“Very nice! And I suppose you’re here for some delicious taiyaki? It’s Tsunami’s special recipe!” Tachimukai flipped one mold open and began removing the cooked goods. Stacking them on the side, he began to pour in batter again for the next batch. A hearty scoop of red bean paste was plopped into half and custard was piped into the rest. Aphrodi watched, fascinated at Tachimukai’s deft movements and the quickly cooking pastry. 

“Aphrodi, what flavor do you want?” Fubuki spoke up, seeing as a line was starting to form behind them. 

“Ahh...I haven’t had either before…” He’d had custard once in a pastry Aki had brought over. Red bean was always inside mochi...but to have it in a _taiyaki_?! He couldn’t just decide like this…

“We’ll get one each.” Fubuki decided for both of them, dropping the coins in Tachimukai’s outstretched hand. He ran a hand along Aphrodi’s lower back, reassuring the confused angel. 

“We can share, you can have half of each.” 

“Oh!” Aphrodi smiled happily at him as he took one of each in his hand. “Thank you, Fubuki! You’re so smart.”

“It’s...nothing,” Fubuki hurriedly took one and they stepped to the side to eat before moving on. He began to carefully split the taiyaki with his hands, avoiding spilling any of the red bean inside. 

“Aphrodi, here-oh.” Wide red eyes looked at him while a taiyaki tail stuck out of Aphrodi’s mouth. Biting carefully, the angel daintily held the severed tail and carefully offered it to him.

“Sorry,” Aphrodi scratched his chin, trying to get rid of any crumbs. “I thought it would be easier if I just...ate half of it. Um, if you don’t want it, I’ll eat the rest of this one...you can have that one.” The despondent look on his face upon this proposal caused Fubuki to let loose a few chuckles. 

“It’s fine, it’s fine, just swap with me, I can’t stand having you look like that when this might be your only taste of red bean taiyaki.” He exchanged with Aphrodi and ended up eating the severed tail first, as the custard was starting to leak out. His little bird was absolutely memorized by the crunchy pastry, the wing twitches far too obvious to Fubuki’s trained eye. 

“Here, let’s go get you a taste of everything else before the fireworks start.” The streets were getting crowded and the sky above was now dark and speckled with stars. Fubuki reached forward and took Aphrodi’s hand, keeping him close while they walked through all the other food stalls. Aphrodi stared down at their clasped hands in surprise, knowing Fubuki wasn’t one to get too close unless needed. He gave a silent thanks to the growing crowd around them as they skirted along the path. People pressed up against him, their voices stirring up a constant hum, but everything became pure background noise as he followed Fubuki’s slim back. 

By the time they reached the last few booths, Fubuki was starting to suspect that Aphrodi actually had a bottomless stomach. He was feeling quite full by now, and yet the angel easily ate just about anything that was handed to him. They stopped in front of a candied fruit booth where a familiar couple were seated behind the stand. 

“Fubuki! Aphrodi! Welcome!” Endou waved up at them with a candied strawberry skewer. “Here to get some candied fruit? Rococo’s made candy platters, too, if you want that instead.” Rows of bright red candied fruit skewers formed a miniature forest on the stall table. They glistened with lantern light that washed down from above, throwing a muted rainbow across the hard sugar coatings. Rococo was seated next to several trays of candy mixes, each arranged in its own little edible cup and accompanying small wooden stick for easy handling. Aphrodi recognized some of the candies floating in these colorful mixtures: konpeito, marshmallow, gummies...so many choices! 

“Did you make all this?” He asked Rococo, trying to see which one looked most appealing. 

“Yep! All original mixes,” The candy master replied with a smile, pumping his fist in a show of hard work. “I can even make one especially for you!”

“Ohhh,” Aphrodi glanced over all the different offerings, then spotted one of a marshmallow bird with white konpeito sprinkled over a blue gummy base. “Oh that one! Fubuki!” He turned and tugged at the boy’s navy yukata sleeve, then pointed at the specific candy he wanted. 

“Ah.” Fubuki had been deep in conversation with Endou over their current fruit harvest, and took a bit to process what was required of him. “Oh OK. But don’t you want some candied fruit, too?”

“I want both!” The sugar-crazed bird crowed back. “Oh I want that! Is that a whole apple?” He pointed at one of the large red candied fruit sticking up in the stand. It looked absolutely delicious, and with copious amounts of sugar, too.

“Yeah! Homegrown, fresh from my farm!” Endou picked up one of the apples encased in a hard red sugar coating. “Perfectly sweet, inside and out!”

Giving in without a single argument, Fubuki paid for both of the candies. He held the candied apple while Aphrodi received the candy cup. 

“Look, Fubuki! It’s just like how you found me!” Aphrodi held up the cup for Fubuki to better see the scene. “A bird in the snow-oh!” Fubuki grabbed Aphrodi’s forearm in a panic and dragged him off into the side bushes. 

“Endou, Rococo, thanks!” He called back over his shoulder while pushing a very vocally annoyed Aphrodi further into the foliage. 

“What was that about?!” Aphrodi asked, still taking the chance to eat the marshmallow bird while standing between some trees.

“You can’t just tell people I picked you up on a snowy day! Remember, you’re supposed to be a foreigner from Tokyo!” Fubuki clutched the candied apple close, stressed from having such a slip-up almost happen. 

“Oh.” Aphrodi visibly drooped as he nibbled on the candy cup. “Sorry. I just got too excited, it reminded me of when we first met.” Fubuki stayed silent, deliberately trying to keep his mind blank as faded lantern light shone through the woods. The fireworks would be starting soon, and he just had to keep Aphrodi in check until then. 

“Just be careful.” He finally spoke up, carefully choosing his words. “You won’t be here next year, so let’s go try and get some good spots for the fireworks show.” He turned to start walking back towards the main street when Aphrodi caught his arm.

“What do you mean by that?” Aphrodi asked, pulling Fubuki back. They were standing so close now, too close. Gold lace and red dye shimmered in his view as he refused to meet the angel’s eye.

“You’re only here until you heal, right? You’re all healed up already. Kidou told me so a while back. Once you’re tired of this country lifestyle you’ll just fly off when your vacation is over!” Fubuki tried to pull out of Aphrodi’s grip, but the angel was stronger than he thought. He could hear the crowd chattering in the distance. The fireworks would be ready soon, if they didn’t hurry-

“Didn’t you want me to leave, Fubuki?” Aphrodi watched Fubuki’s internal struggle playing out in front of him with keen eyes. 

“I-,” He didn’t know what to say. Yes, he had wanted Aphrodi to leave in the past, but now, now he wasn’t so sure. “We should go, the fireworks-”

“Fubuki. Tell me the truth. Do you want me to leave? Or do you want me to stay? I can stay as long as I want here, you know.” Aphrodi’s voice turned soft as he tried to herd Fubuki towards the correct decision. “My vacation lasts for a very long time, outside of a human’s lifespan. I can stay with you forever, if that’s what you want, and I’ll even take you to Heaven with me when it’s time for you to rest.” A roundabout confession, but with how Fubuki acted whenever the topic of love was brought up, he had to do it this way. 

All of the late nights Fubuki had spent reasoning with himself that falling in love with an angel was a horrible idea went out the window. Aphrodi had so simply eased his hidden fear that his little bird would suddenly fly away and leave him all alone. But there were still so many other things to worry about. A relationship like this….

“Fubuki.” 

He finally looked up and saw that for once, Aphrodi wasn’t teasing at all. Muted red eyes followed his every slight movement, waiting for his answer. He could hear cheers in the background now as the sound of taiko drums heralded the start of the fireworks show. They’d miss it but...next year, next year they’d be able to save a good spot and his gluttonous little bird wouldn’t try to eat everything in sight. Maybe only pick the foods he liked from this time as they wouldn’t be new to him anymore. Aphrodi pulled Fubuki’s arm closer, just a little step forward, as he tried to receive a reply.

“I don’t want you to leave,” Fubuki whispered as the first fireworks went off in the distance. Aphrodi didn’t even turn to look, instead relaxing his grip on Fubuki’s arm. 

“I thought as much,” his little bird responded softly. He pushed aside Fubuki’s arm, moving the candied apple out of the way from between them, then closed the gap by pulling Fubuki in by the waist. Without even giving him time to protest, Aphrodi leaned in and kissed Fubuki on the lips. It tasted sweet and soft, and he secretly hoped that it was more due to his new boyfriend’s charm than the candy he’d been snacking on earlier. 

Fubuki tried to pull back, covering his mouth with an arm as he blushed furiously. The intermittent bursts of light from the fireworks above illuminated his reddening cheeks. Aphrodi snuggled closer, eyes only on the special view in front of him.

“I love you, Fubuki. Thank you for taking care of me.” He turned to smile at his shy lover who glanced up at him, then quickly gave Aphrodi an unexpected kiss on the cheek. Now it was Aphrodi’s turn to stumble back slightly and catch himself before he fell. Fubuki laughed, a loose and beautiful sound that was finally free from worries.

“I love you too, Aphrodi, now let’s go catch the tail end of the fireworks show.” Clasping Aphrodi’s hand in his, they walked out of the bushes to watch the last few fireworks of the festival night. Bright flares of light streaked through the air, multicolored and reflecting the pride of their little town. Aphrodi glanced to his side and caught Fubuki’s eye as his lover did the same. Smiling, he leaned over and they exchanged one more kiss, neither of them paying attention to the brilliant show above as just being together was enough. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once I got like 3 of those goldfish from a matsuri and I raised those fat nuggets for 6 years. They were happy goldfish. I gave them such a big tank and they changed colors about four times each. Fun fact. Goldfish change colors.  
> \---  
> [Yakisoba](https://www.justonecookbook.com/yakisoba/) \- Delicious noodles, but sometimes I'm lazy and just eat the instant stuff. Good enough.  
> [Happi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happi)\- "a traditional Japanese straight-sleeved coat. They are usually worn only during festivals."  
> [Konpeito](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konpeit%C5%8D) \- Sugar candy that looks like cute animal crossing stars!!! Typically handmade, and takes a long time! You can read about a store that does that here: [Ryokujuan Shimizu](http://thekyotoproject.org/english/kompeito/)  
> \---
> 
> festival goers


	11. somen

Aphrodi laid on the veranda, snuggling up against Fubuki despite the sweltering heat of summer all around them. Festival night had been like a dream, although both of them had been tired after the whole event and had simply gone home to sleep. Fubuki was shy, but fortunately Aphrodi had plenty of time to take it slow. He flapped his wings to create a slight breeze and watched his lover put up hanging screens to block out the heat. 

“These are so thick, would this even let any wind through?” Aphrodi asked, running his hand along the long bamboo slats that were tied to each other. 

“It’s worked fine for me my whole life,” Fubuki replied as he shifted over to finish tying up the rest of the screen. “And it looks thick because you’re on the outside. When you’re inside you can see the spaces in between.” 

“I see.” The feisty angel replied while reaching over to tug on Fubuki’s shirt. The diligent worker swatted him away with one hand but couldn’t hide the blush on his ears when he went back to setting the screen. Aphrodi shifted again, trying to get a breeze through his yukata sleeves. He’d switched back to drab navy ones as the festival yukata was too precious for everyday wear. This one had little white stripes running through it, much like the bamboo screens. 

“I wonder how the black goldfish is doing,” he sat up and stared at the glass windchime that now hung from the eaves. It tinkled gently as some warm wind brushed up against it, the small glass goldfish within knocking against the edges shaped like a fish bowl. This decoration fish was orange, reminding him of the little fish that had gotten away from him. 

“I’ll ask Aki for some photos later. Actually, within the summer storage items I found some jinbei. You should try them on when you have the chance. It’s cooler clothes for the summer, unless you’re willing to try western clothes now.” Fubuki stood up, patting down his shorts while surveying his handiwork. A neat row of bamboo screens now hung from the top of the sliding doors. They swayed slightly, buffeted by the warm winds, bamboo strips shining as the sun beamed down from above. 

“I wanna wear traditional clothes!” Aphrodi fully spread out his wings, bright white reflecting harsh sunlight. He sighed, happily flexing rows of feathers as he sunned himself. Fubuki smiled and sat back down to rub his back. His little bird sure did like warm days, he’d caught Aphrodi kicking up dirt in the backyard more than once. Something about sand baths….

“Alright, let’s--” He was cut off by the sound of a car engine that sounded strangely close. Aphrodi fell silent, also straining to hear what this sudden interruption was. Gravel crunched underneath tires as a car pulled up in their driveway. Both of them froze, the tinkling wind chime the only sound that could be heard from the house.

“Heyyyyyyy Fubuki!” Tsunami’s voice cut through the hazy summer air, startling the two out of stillness. “You home??” 

“Get in, get your haori on!” Fubuki hissed as he shoved Aphrodi through one of the bamboo screens. Bamboo sticks clattered over him as he rolled through the bottom onto the cool tatami mats within. Scrambling upwards, he glanced out and saw that he could see Fubuki clearly through the thin slats. As he pulled on the haori, he watched the homeowner disappear around the corner to go greet his friend. A few minutes later, the door opened and several sets of footsteps entered.

“Aphrodi! We’re coming in! Tsunami and Tachimukai are visiting!” An odd way of announcing visitors, but it was mostly to buy Aphrodi time if he hadn’t gotten his shit together yet.

“Welcome!!!” Aphrodi got up to greet them from the living room doorway, poking his head out and smiling at the visiting couple. “What brings you here?” He was parroting an oft-spoken phrase from the latest drama on TV. Fubuki sadly recognized it after watching it at night together.

“Good question!” Tsunami struck a grand pose without even taking off his shoes. Tachimukai smiled over in adoration, knowing what was about to be announced. 

“Have you ever gone frog fishing or cicada hunting?” 

“Huh?” Aphrodi hadn’t been prepared for a question like _that_. “No? Is that a thing?”

“Ohh great! Do you want to go? It’s fun! Tachimukai and I were going to go today, and realized that a city boy like you must’ve never experienced countryside activities. So we decided to drop by and see if you wanted to come along!” The eager adventurer was decked out for a day of action, sporting an open red hawaiian shirt (nothing underneath) and some loose khaki shorts with rubber crocs. Tachimukai had a straw hat on, along with a matching hawaiian shirt (buttoned up) and similar green shorts with rubber sandals. 

“That sounds fun!” Aphrodi exclaimed, wondering how one could even fish frogs or catch cicadas. Definitely not to eat, but for entertainment’s sake it would be exciting. “Fubuki, can we go?”

“Only if you change out of that.” Fubuki pointed at Aphrodi’s loose yukata. “And only if you put on sunscreen and wear a hat.”

“I will!” The angel eagerly promised, turning to go rustle around the summer storage bags that were still lying around in the living room. The kotatsu had been changed out for a normal wooden low table now and had a mosquito coil slowly burning on it. Aphrodi hadn’t been bit yet, but he feared the demonic insects. 

“Oh, wait. Let me help you with that.” Fubuki realized that the jinbei hadn’t been modified yet and Aphrodi’s wings would get stuck underneath. He moved around the two guests and went into the living room, shutting the sliding door behind him.

“Aw, Fubuki, we’re all guys here!” Tsunami shouted towards the closed room as Tachimukai gave him a harsh tug on the sleeve.

“That’s not it!” A flustered voice called back to them. “Aphrodi’s um...shoulder, it’s still not well.”

“Oh.” The heckler suddenly felt very self conscious while his husband glared at him. “Sorry, I forgot. Is it still not healed?”

“Uh, it’ll take a while. The doctor said to just treat it as if he has bad shoulders. Ah, Aphrodi, hold still-” Fubuki’s voice faded away as he directed his energy into wrangling the finicky bird. With some effort, they managed to get him dressed in the jinbei and tossed the haori back on.

“OK do _not_ take this off at any time, got it? And you’re to keep the hat on, too, I don’t want you getting some weird bird sunburn. Be careful, I’m going to go get you some rubber sandals. Go wait in the hallway for me while I pack.” Aphrodi nodded in understanding, then stepped out into the hallway to wait with the now-solemn couple.

“So where are we going?” He asked, slipping out of his bamboo slippers to leave some footprint marks on the wooden hallway floor. 

“Kazemaru’s farm!” Tachimukai answered this time with a smile. 

“Oh! Kazemaru?” Fubuki’s voice floated over from a distant room, most likely the kitchen as rustling plastic bags could be heard. “I’ll bring him some vegetables. I know he doesn’t grow some of these….” More rustling came, along with cupboards opening and closing. 

“He runs a large rice farm,” Tsunami eagerly cut in. “Plenty of wiiiiiide open rice paddies with water in them for maximum irrigation and _also_ frogs. And he has a bunch of trees behind his property against the mountain, so lots of cicadas _there_!”

“Alright, I’m ready.” Fubuki reemerged into the hallway, now holding several large plastic woven bags that were stuffed with supplies and gifts. “Aphrodi, put this hat on.” He handed a slightly fraying straw hat to the disappointed angel, having thought he could get away with it this time. Donning the wilting headgear, he saw that Fubuki’s was even more frayed. His heart melted a bit at this small act of love. 

“Great, now let’s go!” Tsunami turned and led the way out towards where his truck was haphazardly parked. After some negotiations, as there were only two seats in the entire car, Fubuki and Aphrodi piled into the truck bed. 

“Don’t see why we can’t just use my car,” Fubuki protested while pulling the tailgate closed. “I have five seats in mine.” 

“It’s the experience, the experience I tell you!” Tsunami enthused as he opened the back window from the driver’s seat. “Also none of the equipment will fit into your little car. Just don’t crush the nets and stuff.” 

Tachimukai got into the passenger's seat and securely buckled himself up. Fubuki sighed. He hadn’t done something like this in years, not since he was much younger and less prone to injury. Shifting into a more comfortable position, his shoe knocked up against some long bamboo poles. The trunk bed was strewn with nets, plastic fish tanks (with handles!), twine, a cooler, and the aforementioned bamboo poles. A curious hand appeared in his vision and he had to slap it away as the truck began moving. 

“No, Aphrodi, don’t play with stuff while the car is moving. Just sit tight and make sure your hat is tied down.” He reached over and double knotted the string under Aphrodi’s neck. Cool breeze whipped around them as the truck sped up on the bumpy dirt road. Some birds flew overhead, specks of black against the cloudless sky. Aphrodi leaned forward slightly, trying to get a better view of everything in the peak of summertime. They passed by dozens of farm fields, all familiar to Fubuki so he could focus on just the view next to him. 

“Everything’s so green now!” Aphrodi exclaimed, stretching up his arms to watch the haori sleeves flap in the wind. The sounds of nature crowded up all around him, drowning out the crackling radio playing from inside the truck. Before taking his vacation, he’d forgotten how beautiful Earth was at times. Now, he couldn’t bear to leave, even if everything at home was perfect and pristine. He preferred the messier lifestyle and unexpected occurrences that happened everyday here. Especially since there was a special someone for him to spend all his time with. 

Fubuki leaned against the side of the truck, a white egret in a passing field having caught his attention. It reminded him of a certain someone who was now snuggling up against him. Golden hair flew loose and whipped around the two of them as Aphrodi smiled up at him. Their hat brims blocked out the immediate view around them as the skies moved overhead. Fubuki leaned down and gave his waiting lover a soft kiss on his forehead. A radiant smile shone from his little bird’s face as they watched the scenery move past them. 

\---

Kazemaru’s home was a large traditional Japanese building backed up against the mountainside. His rice fields spanned out in every direction from the narrow dirt road that led up to his front door. Rice stalks swayed in the summer wind, the tops of which were laden with heavy clusters of ripening grain. The water that filled each paddy shimmered with the moving stalks, reflecting a distorted version of the vast blue sky. Aphrodi leaned over the tailgate, fascinated by how far the rice fields spanned. He couldn’t see an end to the patchy grids, and the last house he’d seen they’d passed about 20 minutes ago.

“Is this all Kazemaru’s?” He felt a tug on his haori and leaned back into Fubuki’s arms, smiling up at him. 

“Yep, him and his husband, Miyasaka, work this entire stretch of land. It’s hard work, and harvest season is almost here. I don’t know if you’ll see both of them today...usually one or the other is in the fields at all times.” The truck trundled to a stop in the wide dirt driveway before the open wooden front doors. Tsunami and Tachimukai got out to stretch slightly before helping Fubuki and Aphrodi off the back. 

“How was riding in the back of a truck? Fun, right?” Tsunami began to pat Aphrodi on the back, then remembered the whole shoulder injury thing. He opted for a weird wave instead, trying to make it look natural. 

“Yeah! It-” _felt like flying_. Aphrodi hurriedly stopped himself, then frantically tried to give another answer. “It was really fun,” he weakly finished. Fubuki was methodically unloading the necessary bags from the truck bed, then fished out a bottle of sunscreen and began slathering it on the unprepared angel. 

“I’m wearing a hat! I don’t need that!” He protested, trying to get away from the pasty white cream. Fubuki grabbed his arm and held him in place while applying dollops of it on all of Aphrodi’s exposed skin.

“No excuses, you promised.” Fubuki felt the angel wilt in his grip and hold still while he finished lathering it all on. Turning his attention to himself, he finished covering whatever pale skin was exposed while Aphrodi turned in circles next to him. Tsunami and Tachimukai went through the front door to announce their arrival while carrying the cooler between them. The moment Fubuki finished, Aphrodi bounced forward, grabbing a bag from the pile to bring inside. He slipped through the open front doors to barrel straight into a conversation.

“-you eaten yet?” A tanned figure with shoulder length blonde hair was talking to Tsunami and Tachimukai while opening up the cooler at the genkan. Fresh fish were unearthed from the packed ice, along with a bag of cubed raw chicken breast. 

“Oh, frog fishing? I think Kazemaru did mention that. KAZE! YOUR FRIENDS ARE HERE!” The man turned and called over his shoulder further into the house. Footsteps sounded, and Kazemaru (presumably) arrived from one of the inner rooms. His hair length rivaled Aphrodi’s, but his blue locks were tied up in a high ponytail, and part of his bangs obscured one brown eye. Kazemaru spotted Aphrodi first out of the group and gave a smile and wave. 

“Hello? And you are?” To Kazemaru, the newcomer didn’t look like a local...or someone he knew from any of the nearby towns. 

“Oh!” Tsunami turned and gestured Aphrodi forward to introduce him. “This is Aphrodi, he’s a foreigner living with Fubuki right now! He’s here to recover from a shoulder injury, but is originally from, uh….”

“Tokyo.” Aphrodi quickly supplied.

“Yes! Tokyo, so I wanted to take him around and show him some stuff you can only do in the countryside. Like frog fishing and cicada hunting.” 

“Ah, that makes sense.” The original speaker turned to greet Aphrodi while still holding a raw fish in one hand. “Nice to meet you! I’m Miyasaka. This here is my husband, Kazemaru.” He gestured over at the other farmer who had come to stand next to him. “Too bad your shoulder is injured, we always look for more help during harvest season which is coming up.” 

“No harvesting for Aphrodi,” Fubuki’s firm voice cut into the conversation as he finally arrived inside the front entrance. “He is to finish healing.” 

“Fubuki! Of course we won’t make him work,” Kazemaru greeted his old friend. “How’s Endou and everyone else? We never make it into town for those meetups...not enough hands to help around the farm while we’re gone.”

“They’re all doing well, I brought you some of their fruits and a few of my own vegetables.” Fubuki handed over two bulging bags of produce. “As thanks for letting us run around your farm for a day.”

“Anytime!” Kazemaru responded with a smile. He hadn’t been expecting this many visitors, but some liveliness on the farm was always nice. 

Miyasaka went back into the kitchen to stow away the fresh fish and produce while Kazemaru guided them into the open living room. Tsunami went out to bring in all the supplies from his truck with his husband and spread them out on the tatami mats. Aphrodi sat politely next to Fubuki, observing how similar the room here was to the one at home, as Miyasaka reemerged with juice and some snacks.

“You came at a good time, we’re taking a short break from the farm right now. Have you eaten yet, Fubuki, Aphrodi? We still have some lunch that I made….” He set a tray heaped with snacks ranging from rice crackers to hard candies down on the low wooden table next to them. Kazemaru pulled open the sliding doors and rolled up the hanging screens. The sun was on the other side of the house in the afternoon, so the living room veranda was currently cast in shade. A warm breeze blew in, brushing against the wind chimes that hung from the eaves. 

“We’re good, thank you.” Fubuki helped pass out glasses of juice. “Aphrodi, don’t set that down on the tatami. Leave it on the table.” 

“Ah.” Caught in the act, he sheepishly placed the half-empty cup onto the wooden table. Sneaking a rice cracker, he began surreptitiously licking it. 

“Tsunami, are you going cicada hunting first? The frogs aren’t active right now when the sun’s high up.” Kazemaru glanced out at the bright blue sky. “It would be best if you stuck to the woods until the sun’s lower, too. More shade.”

“That does make sense,” Tachimukai added, holding up the bug nets they’d brought. “I’m not a big fan of cicada hunting so I’ll stay here, if you don’t mind.”

“Me too,” Fubuki added with relief, not one that liked being out in the sun as much. “Gives us a bit of time to catch up, too. I haven’t seen you two in months.”

“Fubuki, you’re not coming?!” Aphrodi tugged at his lover’s sleeve, now unsure if he wanted to go cicada hunting. He didn’t even know what a cicada was, just that they sounded very annoying. He could hear them faintly in the distant, a constant buzzing that drowned out softer sounds. 

“I’ve done plenty of this in the past, and want some time to catch up with my old friends.” Fubuki reached over and ruffled Aphrodi’s hair. “You’ll have lots of fun with Tsunami! And I’ll come frog fishing with you later. Once the sun goes down a bit.” 

“Oh, alright…,” Aphrodi wavered for a bit, and Fubuki realized that this would be the first time he didn’t accompany the little bird out since the mountain incident. 

“You’ll be fine, just be careful and remember your promises, OK?” He covered Aphrodi’s clenched hand with his and squeezed it once. 

“It’ll be alright, Aphrodi! I know this area well,” Tsunami interrupted their touching moment as he walked over with a plastic tank and net. “Here! This is your set.” 

“Ohhh, thanks.” The angel took the two items and carefully stood up, gauging their weight with his hands. 

“I have water, snacks, and band aids!” Tsunami patted the cotton crossbody pouch at his waist. “We’re ready to go!” 

“Ah.” Aphrodi steeled himself, then smiled at Fubuki. “I’m off! I’ll come back with cicadas for you!” 

“Oh lord, please do not let them loose in the house,” Miyasaka muttered as he settled down at the table. 

“Take care,” Fubuki smiled and waved at the two of them as they climbed over the veranda and headed into the backwoods. 

“So how long is he going to stay here? What got him staying with you, Fubuki? Are you two related?” Kazemaru was curious as to this development in his normally solitary friend’s life. 

“Ah, um…,” Fubuki hadn’t been sure when to break it to everyone that he was in a relationship now. “I don’t know how long yet...it was just a complicated series of events. The country air is supposed to be good for him. And no, we’re not related.” He was grasping at straws now, but usually after the initial nosey period, farming folk didn’t really care. He just had to ride it out until then. 

“Well, it’s good for you to have someone around the house,” Tachimukai smiled over at Fubuki as he nursed his own cup of fruit juice at the table. “And you’ve been a lot livelier and happier since he came.”

“Oh?” Miyasaka, perceptive as ever, leaned in with newfound interest. “What’s this about? Did you finally find a partner?”

“I-,” Fubuki felt his cheeks turn hot as he tried to deflect the conversation away from him. He’d wanted to catch up, not inform everyone of his own life. 

“You even bought him a new yukata for the festival!” Tachimukai exclaimed, remembering everyone’s after-festival discussion on this development. He’d been curious as to why, knowing that Fubuki wasn’t a big spender under most circumstances. 

“You did?” Kazemaru propped an elbow on the table and leaned against his palm. “Now I wish I’d gone. We were too tired that night...we should really get some more farmhands.”

“Does Aphrodi work? When’s his shoulder going to get better?” Miyasaka asked, keenly interested in the possibility of a fresh new hire.

“Aphrodi is not available for hire.” Fubuki firmly replied, knowing the poor angel would probably wilt at any mention of hard physical labor. “Yes, I got him a yukata, but that’s because the other ones I have didn’t suit him-” Miyasaka cut him off with a low whistle and a knowing look. 

“Sharing clothes? Good for you, Fubuki! It’s about time, anyways.” He reached over and patted Fubuki’s hand that was tightly clutching a glass of fruit juice. “Can’t stay a bachelor forever, look at all of us! We’re all happily married now!” 

“Thanks,” Fubuki decided to just accept it. Word would’ve gotten out, anyways, and with how Tachimukai was trying to sneak out his phone he guessed his relationship would stay secret for about five more minutes. 

“You should tell us more about Aphrodi,” Kazemaru unwrapped a hard candy and popped it into his mouth. “We should know more about our friend’s partner, anyways.”

“It’s a lot…,” the sudden conversation turn had caught Fubuki off guard yet again. 

“Well, we have all day!” Miyasaka settled in more comfortably and poured himself some more juice. “So talk away!” 

Faced with three eager listeners, Fubuki had no choice but to start from the beginning with some slight modifications. He’d have to get his story straight with Aphrodi the next few times he had to retell this, but for now, this would do.

\---

“We’re back!” 

Footsteps sounded along the wooden veranda, interrupting the current conversation that had thankfully shifted to bushel prices. All four men clustered around the table turned to see Tsunami appear past the furthest screen door holding...a large leaf. A fuki leaf, to be exact, where the green stem was firmly grasped in his hand and extended upwards into a large saucer-shaped leaf that was almost the size of an umbrella.

“Where’s Aphrodi?” Fubuki asked, concerned with how his little bird hadn’t appeared at this announcement. A shuffling noise greeted his question and Tsunami stepped aside to show a sheepish Aphrodi creeping into view. His hands gripped a full plastic tank of buzzing cicadas and a fuki leaf stalk. The large frond attached above wafted over his bare hair...Fubuki then realized that Aphrodi’s hat was gone.

“Your hat!” A voice next to Fubuki cried out. 

Aphrodi jumped, not expecting Tachimukai to be the one who pointed out his newest flaw. 

“I can explain--” he hurriedly started, clutching the cicada package close. 

“It was crazy! Aphrodi nearly flew down the side of the mountain-,” Tsunami cut in as he set his box of cicadas on the veranda and walked in to get a glass of juice.

“FLEW?!” Fubuki yelled as he stood up to go confront Aphrodi who was frantically shaking his head. “What do you mean by _flew_?!”

“He had a bit of a tumble,” Tsunami confessed as his own husband glared and withheld the juice pitcher from him. “He slipped trying to get a cicada that was high up the tree and fell a bit. The hat came loose and flew off into the river….” 

“Oh my god, Aphrodi, are you hurt?” Tachimukai relinquished the juice pitcher and grabbed Tsunami’s pouch, wrenching it off to go over to where Fubuki and Aphrodi were. The former was already patting down his nervous patient. Luckily, there were only some small scrapes and scratches on his knees and palms. 

“How’s your shoulder?” Tachimukai asked, worried as he helped clean off the wounds. Miyasaka had come back with a wet towel to help disinfect the area. 

“It’s OK.” Aphrodi responded quietly. He was scared, Fubuki hadn’t spoken since Tsunami had let everyone know about his fall. Glancing over, he tried to explain himself before those brows furrowed any further.

“Um, I still stayed out of the sun. Tsunami found these big leaves, and I held them over me while we caught cicadas….” He twisted the large stem in his hands. The large leaf flopped through the air and cast a dark shadow along his knees. Tachimukai took a good look at his silent friend, then got up and unfolded his wet towel.

“I’ll go get you some water,” he declared while giving them a small wink. “Fubuki can take care of you for a bit.” Aphrodi watched as Tachimukai disappeared into the hallway, not understanding what the wink was for. He really didn’t want to be left alone with Fubuki right now, not in this situation…. 

“Are you really not hurt anywhere else?” Fubuki finally spoke, causing him to jump slightly, then settle back down when he realized this wasn’t a lecture - yet. 

“It’s really just this,” Aphrodi protested his innocence. “It was just a little slip, just unfortunate that the hat caught on a branch then blew off. I would’ve gotten it, but no flying…Tsunami was right there.” 

“That’s good,” teal eyes turned to study his face. Aphrodi was starting to sweat more than he had this entire summer. “As long as you weren’t hurt, that’s fine.”

“Really?” He watched as Fubuki reached up and took the fuki leaf from his hands, then placed it gently on the side. “Even though I lost the hat...I’m really sorry about that. I know you told me to keep it on and I promised….”

“Aphrodi.” Fubuki sighed, then embraced him in a hug. They were far enough from the others who were admiring the caught cicadas that he didn’t worry about being seen. “Aphrodi, all I care about is that you are all right. Belongings can be replaced, you can’t.”

Aphrodi’s caught his breath at Fubuki’s words. In truth, angels couldn’t die. Sure, they could get hurt, he was bleeding a bit but that was all mostly for show. It would heal up soon enough and he’d be fine again. This partially contributed to his callous attitude when running around, but feeling the worry that was radiating from Fubuki he vowed to not be so careless again. Aphrodi would have to think more on how his actions affect others now. 

“Got it,” he quietly replied, not wanting to let go of the soft figure. Eventually, Fubuki pulled back and patted him down one more time. 

“You look alright, let’s go join the others.” Taking Aphrodi’s hand, Fubuki led him to go sit back at the table where everyone was admiring the caught cicadas. 

“They look larger this year…,” Kazemaru stared at the boxed up bugs with a hint of unease. 

“That’s because you normally see them at a distance, not up close like this,” Miyasaka volunteered his opinion while tapping the plastic. “We better release these ones soon, though. They don’t live very long, it would be a shame for them to spend half their life in a plastic box.”

“We’ll release them tonight!” Tsunami proclaimed as he pulled lengths of twine loose from the spool loosely gripped in his left hand. “In a grand show of graciousness we’ll dump them all together. It’ll be like speed dating.”

“Tsunami, if you caught them based on sound, these are all male cicadas.” Tachimukai clarified to his sweet husband.

“Gay speed dating.” Tsunami asserted as he tied twine onto the end of a bamboo stick. He held the entire contraption up and swung the stick around, narrowly missing Aphrodi in the process. Fubuki gripped Aphrodi tight, pulling him close and giving Tsunami a gaze that the enthusiastic cicada matchmaker didn’t really want to see again. 

“Oops, sorry about that. How are you feeling? Up for some frog fishing?” He held up the stick with string and smiled up at the confused city boy. Aphrodi glanced out the open veranda, seeing that the sun was starting to come down a bit. The air was starting to have a hint of a cooler breeze, coaxing nocturnal creatures to begin emerging from their homes. 

“OK...but I don’t have a hat anymore.” There was still a good amount of light outside, and he didn’t want to risk any injury from the sun.

“Aw, that’s easy,” Tachimukai got up and went to fetch the discarded fuki leaf. Pulling out a pocket knife, he flipped it open and swiftly cut off the stem, ignoring Aphrodi’s scandalized gasp. Holding it up, he then folded it in half and cut out a semicircle along the folded edge.

“Here you go, Aphrodi, a new hat.” He went over to the standing pair and carefully fit it onto the golden crown of hair. “I cut it small so it’ll latch on and won’t fall off.” A green brim now extended in all directions around the angel’s head, much like a halo. The leafy fashionista was fascinated and immediately bothered Fubuki to bring out the phone for him to take a selfie and see what he looked like. 

“Aw man, I forgot about doing that,” Tsunami admired the creation from his tatami mat vantage point. “I made enough poles for everyone, so we can just go out to a paddy and compete who gets the most frogs!”

“Something that’s only fun for bored people in the countryside,” Miyasaka muttered as he picked up a pole, then went to retrieve the bag of raw chicken from the kitchen fridge. With some organization, everyone got prepped to go out into the slowly waning sunlight. Aphrodi took Fubuki’s hand and smiled widely when his lover didn’t pull away. Swinging their clasped hands together, he followed the whole group as they walked down the dirt road leading from the front door in search of the perfect rice paddy.

The sun shined overhead, but not as harsh as before. Warm wind came in rolling waves, brushing against the tops of the rice stalks and moving them all as one. Tsunami, being the closest thing they had to a frog dowsing rod, decided upon a common-looking paddy that was still within visible distance of the house. 

“Over here! Don’t sit down yet, Aphrodi, you gotta put on the bait.” He took the bag of raw chicken from Miyasaka and fished out one chunk. Carefully tying the other end of the twine around it, he held it up by the string to show the morbidly curious angel. 

“The frogs will bite on this, then you’ll feel a tug and wait for a bit so they’ll hold it tight in their mouths. Then you can pull the frog out! When you catch one, put it in this basin.” He gestured at the plastic basin that Tachimukai had been carrying and had set on the side.

“Here, I’ll help everyone tie their bait on since my hands are already dirty.” Everyone clustered around Tsunami, waiting for their turn to get bait. Once everyone was done, he washed his hands in rice paddy water, then settled on the paddy bank. Everyone sat at a good distance from each other, not wanting to interfere with the frog distribution. Aphrodi watched as Tsunami expertly cast the line in, then sat back to wait, one hand on the rod and twitching it every once in a while. 

“Just like that, huh.” Aphrodi spoke out loud to himself, then cast his line in. He sat down, then edged closer to where Fubuki was staring blankly at the gently rippling paddy water. Ignoring frog distribution statistics, he dragged his fishing rod with him as he snuggled up against his lover. 

“Ah.” Fubuki twitched upon this sudden physical contact, then relaxed upon seeing who it was. “Just a big egret, I see,” he muttered out the side of his mouth while reaching up to rub Aphrodi’s back. 

“I’m prettier than an egret,” Aphrodi preened while leaning back into Fubuki’s warm touch. “You used to do this all the time. Any tips?”

“My tip would be for you to fish at a different paddy, since I don’t believe there’s enough frogs here that are stupid enough to fall for this trick in just one paddy. We’ll probably catch around...two here before moving on.” Feeling a bit playful, he pushed Aphrodi away in a show of distancing himself. 

“Noooooooooo,” his little bird wailed while latching onto him even more tightly. “I’d rather not catch any frogs and sit next to you the whole time.”

“Well, maybe you’ll steal a frog from my line since you managed to get our fishing lines strung together,” Fubuki laughed while tugging on his pole. When Aphrodi had hugged him, he’d accidentally knocked their poles together and twisted their lines. Fubuki had felt the tug on his string and gotten ready to reel it in before realizing that it was just his little bird’s actions.

“Wooo!” A distant yell had both of them turning to see what the commotion was about. Tsunami stood on the bank while Tachimukai waved a net underneath the exposed fishing line. A single frog was dangling from the end of the string, slowly turning midair as it flailed its legs every few seconds. Tachimukai snagged the net around it, then eased it off of the line and dumped it inside the plastic basin. 

“I’m the current frog king!” Tsunami shouted to his friends, all unamused except for his husband and Aphrodi. The latter was such a good friend, he always looked excited upon seeing these things. Jogging over to see how the city boy was doing, he saw that Aphrodi and Fubuki’s lines had gotten twisted together. 

“Ohhh, couples fishing, I guess that’ll work since Aphrodi hasn’t done this before. Do you want me to undo them, though?” 

“No, we’re fine,” Fubuki responded with a slight sigh. “I don’t think there’s a lot of frogs at this time of the day, anyways.”

“Aw, no, there’s _plenty_ of frogs! Look.” Tsunami reached down and took both of their poles in one hand, then re-cast them into the water without even looking. “Just wait a moment. You can hold onto them, Aphrodi.”

“You didn’t even look!” Aphrodi began to protest when he suddenly felt a tug on his pole. Turning with a gasp, he saw both strings were now twitching through the air. 

“Aphrodi, pull it out! Oh no, the net-” Fubuki reached over to help, wrapping his hands around Aphrodi’s and beginning to heave on the line. 

“Tachimukai! The net!” Tsunami called for his husband to come over while eagerly leaning over the side of the bank to look. 

“Here!” Tachimukai arrived and stuck the net out over the rice paddy. “Pull it out and I’ll catch them!”

“OK! Ah, Fubuki!” One of Aphrodi’s hands slipped, sweaty from panic. Fubuki grasped the pole tightly, nearly crushing Aphrodi’s remaining hand, and pulled the fishing line out of the water in one swift movement. With a loud _plop,_ two frogs spun into the air, mouths tightly closed around each chicken bait. Tachimukai swiftly reached out with his net and bagged the two frogs before they could drop back into the water. One let go of the bait immediately, but the other had to be wrangled slightly before it fell loose into the net. 

“Good job, you two! One frog each. Wanna try holding one, Aphrodi?” Tsunami boldly reached into the net and grabbed one, holding the disgruntled frog out to the frozen angel. 

“I think I’m alright,” he weakly replied while reaching up to adjust the leaf hat brim. “Looking at them from a _distance_ is enough.” 

“Oh! I need the net!” Miyasaka’s call came from the other end of the bank where he was tugging on the string. “Tachimukai!!!!”

“Coming! Tsunami, put that frog back in!” The now-designated net handler waited for the disgruntled frog to be re-deposited in, then hurried back to grab the new frog. Tsunami followed along after his husband, deciding to become the frog judge and remark on the shape and size of the one Miyasaka had gotten. Kazemaru fished one out shortly afterwards, then spent a bit musing on how these frogs might be affecting his rice plants. Not wanting to lose out, Aphrodi stared at the soggy bait that was still attached to their two fishing poles, then looked up at the sky while casting his lines in.

“If you’re trying to emulate Tsunami, that man just has a frog sense,” Fubuki laughed as he watched this action. “I don’t think you’ll be able to get the same-oh.” One of the lines twitched again, and the two of them stilled to focus on the action. 

“I think it’s a frog!” Aphrodi waited a bit longer, then yanked up on the string. A frog flew out of the water, then let go of the bait only to continue along its trajectory and hit him straight in the chest. 

“AGHHHAAA FUBUKI IT’S ON MEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!” Wet impact notwithstanding, he didn’t know whether to scream or cry in this situation so he did both. Glimpsing Fubuki in his distress, he saw that his lover was keeled over and laughing nonstop. The displeased frog was scrabbling to get off of his jinbei, leaving a slimy mucus trail as it hopped off his chest, then sat immobile on the paddy bank.

“Gotcha!” A net cut through the air and trapped the motionless frog. “There, I’ll put it in the basin.” Tachimukai scooped up the wriggling frog and pet a quivering Fubuki on the back. “You better go comfort your lover, Fubuki, before he decides to hop off!” Chuckling to himself, he left to go down the bank and prod his friends with the net. Fubuki wiped away his tears of laughter, then went to crouch next to his despondent lover. 

“Aphrodi, are you alright? Did the frog hurt you?” He had to hide a giggle at the last statement, knowing that for a city boy that must’ve been a shock. 

“I’m so hurt,” a soft whisper answered him. Fubuki immediately dropped the smile from his face and hurriedly ran his hands carefully along the shaking angel. 

“What’s wrong? Do you need me to call Kidou? I’ll ask Tsunami to go…,” he stood up, turning to call his friend to get the truck when a hand snaked up and pulled him back down. A surprise kiss brushed against his lips and sly red eyes looked up at him. 

“I think I’ll need a couple more of those to feel better again.” Aphrodi wrapped a hand around his waist and leaned against his chest. The soft thump of Fubuki’s heartbeat could be heard and felt through the thin cotton shirt. Playfully rubbing circles along his lover’s back, Aphrodi gazed up pleadingly. Fubuki sighed, then leaned down to give him a longer and softer kiss. 

“Satisfied now?” He reached over and picked up the discarded fishing poles. Inspecting them with one hand, he tossed the bait back into the water to await more frogs.

“I think my heart’s still in pain,” Aphrodi crowed as he feigned distress and laid against Fubuki’s side. “I think I can’t work anymore, if only someone would do it all for me. Find frogs for me.” The dramatic bird swooned and draped himself over the country boy. 

“I’ll find frogs for you, my love.” Fubuki replied with a smile as he turned from watching the bait to give another kiss. One that lasted a few seconds before a tug on his line caught all their attention again.

\---

Stars twinkled overhead, an endless shimmering expanse as wisps of shadowy clouds chased each other across the night sky. Aphrodi smiled as he felt the cool breeze lift up his hair to tickle against his face. All these things that humans did were so unusual, yet much more entertaining than anything he’d experienced so far. 

“Did you have fun today?” Fubuki’s profile appeared in his field of vision, also watching the endless dirt road disappear into the distance as they rode home in the truck bed. A wash of moonlight from the waxing moon cast a pale silver glow onto all the farmland they passed. Tsunami had turned off the radio to enjoy the nighttime sounds as he drove, so they were conversing in whispers in the back of the truck. The din of crickets and the rattling truck engine served to mute their conversation before it spread too far. 

“Yeah! Dinner was good, too. I want to eat somen again, it’s nice after a hot summer day. Too bad we had to let all the frogs and cicadas go. But maybe it’s a good thing we did it away from the house and not in the same place. I can’t believe Tsunami got 10 frogs.” He reached over and carefully wrapped his fingers around Fubuki’s. The two of them were half perched against the closed tailgate and his warm palm enclosed cold fingers. The silver moonlight illuminated his lover’s hair, made even more brilliant against their muted surroundings. 

“That’s good, I know the countryside might be a bit boring to you…,” Fubuki trailed off, unsure of what to say. How he feared that Aphrodi would still get bored in a few years and leave. This lifestyle must be nothing compared to what an angel had or could have. 

“What?! I love it here!” Aphrodi grasped his lover’s hand tighter while responding. “I love everything about this place. All your friends, how much nature there is here, and of course, _you_.” He leaned in and kissed Fubuki’s cheek, just a soft brush with his lips but he could feel heat by the time he returned to just admiring the view. 

“I’m glad,” came the soft reply, drifting silver bangs briefly obscuring Aphrodi’s precious view. Fubuki turned and smiled at him and his heart melted again at this sight, perfectly framed by the twinkling stars all around them. 

“Today was so fun, thank you, Fubuki,” He wrapped an arm around his favorite person in the world and they looked up at the stars together. It had been a wonderful day, a series of many events that had happened and many more to come. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
> [Fuki leaf](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petasites_japonicus) \- pictured above, these are real! Real big!! Nice in a pinch as umbrellas.  
> \---  
> My friend commented that this chapter is "ribbeting".  
> I wrote this whole fic for the frog fishing scene. No I don't regret it.  
> \---  
> [Jinbei](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jinbei) \- Honestly sort of convenient and often come with pockets. It's easy to forget they're just indoor clothes.  
> [Somen](https://www.justonecookbook.com/somen/)-Cold yummy noodles in light sauce! Serve 'em chilled.


	12. cherries

Fubuki worked his broom over the dirt garden path, sweeping some stray russet leaves into a small pile on the side. Fall was fast approaching and he was looking forward to the cooler temperatures. Although now that he had someone else in the house, he would have to start looking for a bigger space heater. If Aphrodi acted like he did last winter, the angel would probably go into hibernation at the first hint of cold and re-emerge the following spring. 

“That would be a little lonely….” He spoke out loud to the lazy wind that pushed against his little pile of leaves. Shuffling the pile into a dustpan, Fubuki half crouched to better brush up some stray stems that almost disappeared back into the path. A few careful sweeps, and then a loud crash sounded from inside the house - the kitchen, to be exact. He stilled at that sound, then shrugged and stood up to continue sweeping up the remaining leaves. No wails or cries followed that crash so it wasn’t very serious. 

“FUBUKI!” The back door swung open with a metallic clang as the screen door hit the wall. Aphrodi’s hand shot out to keep from being hit by the rebounding door, then carefully pushed it aside to hook on the latch. Door secure, he bounced straight over to where Fubuki was still sweeping and latched onto him with a full body hug. 

“What’s the matter?” Fubuki tapped his broom on the side of the path, satisfied with how clean it was now. A pretty face pushed into his downturned vision and golden lashes blinked up at him in a show of despair. 

“There’s no more fruit in the house!” Aphrodi wailed, upset at his recent discovery. He’d been in the middle of digging around the kitchen for food and had opted for healthy fruit. All the normal fruit boxes were empty, though, and upon trying to find if there was hidden fruit in the house he’d knocked down some pots. Even though he didn’t need to eat, he’d gotten used to snacking, and countryside fruit was one of his favorites.

“Ah yes, my little bird who loves fruit.” A hand reached over to ruffle some long golden hair and teal eyes filled with mirth gazed down at Aphrodi. Fubuki was reminded of his conversation with Aki not too long ago. No bird seed for Aphrodi, it had to be fruit. 

“I love YOU,” Aphrodi asserted, latching on even tighter with his arms. “But there’s no fruit, I looked everywhere!” He rocked the two of them back and forth on the path, wishing he could flap his wings and pick Fubuki up a bit. No flying outside, they didn’t want to risk anyone seeing the stray angel. He’d practiced a bit in the house, but the ceilings were too low and the rooms were now too cluttered after his stay.

“Alright, alright. There’s an easy solution to that.” Fubuki pulled out his phone to check the time. 2 PM, plenty of time for some fun activities. 

“Are we going to the general store?” Rika and Touko were always happy to see them and would give Aphrodi extra candy and snacks all the time. He really liked going to the store just to see the two girls.

“No, we’re going somewhere better. Good thing you’re already wearing your jinbei,” Fubuki replied with a wide smile as he looked Aphrodi in the eye. “We’re going to go pick fruit!” 

\---

Endou and Rococo’s fruit farm was partially open for tourists during peak harvest season. The cloudy sky above was perfect for a fruit picking session as it dimmed the harsh sunlight that filtered down. A series of quaint, hand painted billboards lined the road to the farm as Fubuki drove along it. Rows of fruit trees at different stages of development flashed by the car windows while Aphrodi gazed at the new sights with wonder.

“‘Cherries - by the bucketful! Only 1000 yen each.’ Fubuki is that cheap? How much are cherries normally?” Aphrodi tried to read the billboards as they flashed past, evidently all pertaining to Nekketsu farms. 

“I don’t know, I haven’t bought fruit in a long time,” Fubuki confessed while slowing down the car as they neared the entrance. The last thing he wanted was to run over some tourist family who weren’t used to driving on backroads.

“‘Bushels of grapes! Picked with godly hands!’ Oh my, why would they use God here. He just stamps documents.” The confused angel commented while trying to lean out the window to better read the few remaining signs.

“Are you sure you can talk about your job to a human?” A few more signs sped past, now increasing in frequency the closer they got to the entrance. 

“Ehhh it’s fine, it’s not like people will believe you. Oh! Peaches! And the smaller sign says ‘IN SEASON’,” Aphrodi felt a yank on his haori and he fell back into the passenger seat. “Fubukiiiiiii they painted the peach to look like a butt.” He gave a sly smile and turned to watch his lover’s reaction. An amusing one as Fubuki always blushed from his ears first, not so easy to hide with two hands on the wheel. 

“They’re farmers. Not artists,” came the simple reply. Aphrodi kicked his feet, then went back to admiring the scenery flying by. A farm stand came into view: a simple wooden booth that had crates of fruits and vegetables stacked on it. A moneybox was nailed to the booth post and a wooden sign with prices painted on it hung lopsidedly under the eaves. 

“Oh! We can just buy fruit here! They have peaches, cherries, and grapes!” He recognized the familiar boxes and associated labels. Almost all of their fruit came from Nekketsu farms as gifts, with a minority from Fubuki’s other friends. Now that he thought about it, they had really never paid for fruit. 

“You’ll have more fun picking fruit.” Fubuki carefully took the turn and drove along the narrow dirt road until he saw a familiar farmhouse. Being a family farm, Endou’s home was leaning on the older side of all the buildings in this town. Fubuki was convinced that Endou could file to have his home registered as a national heritage site, but the jovial farmer liked to fix up the house in unconventional ways on his own time. 

A long, thatched roof stretched over the entirety of the rectangular house, steeply sloped to keep snow off during winter months. Stout wooden pillars supported the entire roof structure and provided spacing along the veranda. Being an older Japanese building, tatami mats could be seen beyond the open sliding doors. These were framed by rows of aging wood panels that insulated the rest of the house from the elements. Crates of fruit were stacked on the veranda, some empty and others full with recent pickings. A separate, more modern, steel warehouse was attached to the right side of the home, also housing their truck and the machines used for packaging and sorting fruit. 

“It’s a bit late in the day, I don’t know if they’ll have any fruit picking tourists right now.” The car ground to a stop in the front lot and Fubuki got out to take a look around. They were the only vehicle in the guest parking lot, so unless someone had walked here on foot, they were the only patrons. 

“Where’s Endou and Rococo?” Aphrodi climbed out of the passenger seat, carefully reaching up to press down his new straw hat before exiting the car. He took special care in securing the elastic under his chin while straightening his back. Fubuki had bought him the new hat recently from the general store to replace the one he’d lost. This one had a red ribbon running along the brim that ended in a perky bow, which Aphrodi loved. 

“They’re around, let’s just go look for them.” Fubuki picked up his bag of gift vegetables and walked straight towards the house. “ENDOU! ROCOCO! YOU HAVE CUSTOMERS!” He shouted for the two farmers while moving forward and looking around, hoping to catch a flash of orange or teal. Aphrodi followed along, curious as to where they were going. To his shock, Fubuki simply entered the genkan and took off his shoes, then helped himself to a discarded pair of bamboo slippers and continued into the house. 

“Wh-Fubuki! What if they aren’t home?!” The frantic angel looked around, suddenly timid in the face of such unusually bold behavior. 

“It’s fine - I do this all the time. Grab a pair of slippers and come in.” Fubuki pulled aside some screen doors to check the different rooms. Leaving them in their original place, he returned to find Aphrodi politely perched in seiza next to the traditional Japanese hearth. The little bird was gazing curiously at it, leaning forward and nearly touching the dangling pot with his forehead as he gazed at the sunken structure. 

“It’s your first time seeing one of these, huh.” His voice startled Aphrodi, who lurched forward and hit his forehead on the pot with an accompanying loud hollow clang. 

“AGH! Fubukiiii, you startled me.” Aphrodi nursed his forehead, slight tears having appeared in his eyes from the unexpected pain as his hat fell to the side. “I demand a kiss.”

“Alright, alright, at least we know what’s in your hollow head now.” Fubuki wrapped an arm around his little bird’s shoulders and gifted a tender kiss to heal his hurt lover. Aphrodi leaned into Fubuki’s arms while reaching out his own to swat at the dangling pot. 

“What _is_ this? Why don’t you have one of these funny pots? And why is there a fish on top?” He pointed at the metal fish sculpture located above the pot that was seemingly out of place in the entire contraption. It was connected to a chain that ran through a long piece of bamboo that hooked into the sturdy roof beam above. The pot swung slowly in place, still dissipating energy after being knocked into. 

“This is called a hearth, and I don’t have one because my house isn’t as old as Endou’s. His house is one of the oldest in town and still has a lot of traditional items. And the fish is a lever to move the pot higher or lower. You put whatever you want heated up on this hook,” Fubuki pointed at the large iron clasp that held the empty pot up. “And then stoke a fire here,” He ran his fingers along the ashes and sand that were contained inside the lowered opening between the tatami mats. 

“Fire?! In a wooden house?” Aphrodi flailed slightly, then snuggled closer into Fubuki’s warm chest. This winter, he’d just stick like a leech to Fubuki. That way he’d get his fill of warmth and love. 

“Well, the wood on the side is quite fire resistant. And if you’re careful with it, the fire keeps everything dry when it rains and snows.” He ran a hand through Aphrodi’s long hair, enjoying how the silky strands fell through his fingers. His little bird turned to smile up at him, then relaxed in his lap. The two of them forgot for a moment where they were as they simply enjoyed each other’s company. A cool breeze pushed its way into the open room, ruffling Fubuki’s silver bangs as Aphrodi laid in his arms. Silence settled in as they clung together, watching the afternoon light dancing across the tatami mats shift with the changing clouds outside. 

Aphrodi shifted to try and work his way closer to Fubuki’s chest, since every bit counted as hard-won ground. His movement was interrupted by footsteps that sounded on the wooden veranda outside and could be felt in the quaking tatami mats below him. 

“WHO’S THERE? OH, HI FUBUKI!” A friendly voice boomed out to them as two familiar fruit farmers sprinted into view. Endou led the pair, skidding to a stop with his bare feet as he glimpsed the knotted couple. “Ohhh, did we interrupt something? We heard a clang and came to see what it was in case it was a stray fox or something that got in again.” 

“NO you did not interrupt something, sorry, that clang was from Aphrodi hitting his head on the hearth pot.” Fubuki’s ears were showing a faint dusting of red again, Aphrodi smiled to himself as he reached up to flick the pink earlobe. 

“Oh no, is Aphrodi alright?” Rococo pushed past his husband to observe the fallen angel, currently lying on Fubuki’s lap and playing with his lover’s hair. Everyone knew of their relationship now, after a very fiery group text session a while back that Fubuki had been left out of. 

“He’s fine, can’t damage his brain cells more than they already have been,” Fubuki replied as he swatted away Aphrodi’s hand. “Are you two open for fruit picking right now? I wasn’t sure since none of the usual signs are up.” 

“Ah, we took them down for this week because we were setting things up for the next fruit cycle,” Endou reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. “We’re on the tail end of cherries and moving into peaches. Did you two come here to pick fruit?”

“Yes, Aphrodi ate through everything we have at home and I thought it would be good for him to get this experience.” He jostled the dead weight that was laying on his lap, trying to make his little bird sit up and look more presentable. “Although if you’re closed that’s alright, I’ll just buy some fruit-”

“BUY fruit?! No way, Fubuki.” Endou waved a gloved hand in his direction. “Just grab a bucket and go out to pick whatever you want. You know this farm well enough to navigate it without us.”

“Endou you can’t keep refusing my money every time! You give me so much free fruit!” Fubuki protested, now just rolling Aphrodi off of his lap and standing up. Aphrodi gave a soft wail upon being left like that, then laid limply facedown on the tatami mat.

“You sure he’s alright?” Rococo was now quite concerned for his second guest. “Let me get him some water...oh, did you bring vegetables, Fubuki?” He spotted the reusable bag that was crumpled next to Aphrodi’s head. Reaching over the wilting patient, he picked up the hefty bag. 

“See, Fubuki! You give me free vegetables all the time! But actually…,” Endou trailed off, rubbing his gloves together and ignoring the dirt that fell from it. “If you could do me a favor and stay around the farm while Rococo and I run out to town to drop off some fruit, that would be really helpful! Both of us need to head in for separate reasons, it would be easier if we could go together.” 

“Oh, I can do that.” Fubuki smiled, happy he wasn’t just taking advantage of his friend’s generosity. “How long will you be gone? I’ll make sure to not stay out in the fields for too long.”

“About two hours? Maybe a bit more, we’d love it if you stayed for dinner, though. Gouenji gave us some nice beef yesterday and we were going to cook sukiyaki on the hearth.” Aphrodi perked up at this news, sitting up and tugging on Fubuki’s shorts. 

“I want to see that!” 

Fubuki reached down and took his hand, pulling him upright. 

“Alright, we’ll stay for that, then. Thank you for letting us impose on you for so long,” Fubuki smiled, appreciating his kind friends for what they were.

“Always so polite! You’re doing us a huge favor, too. You know where everything is, so just go for it.” Endou grinned at them, then clapped his hands together. “Time to go back to packing fruit! We’ll see you when we’re back.” 

“Call us if you have trouble,” Rococo called over to them as he followed his husband out to the warehouse. Fubuki watched them go, then turned to check that Aphrodi was still at his side. The angel had drifted back to the hearth, seemingly curious as to how they were to cook in it.

“Aphrodi, let’s go,” Fubuki went around the room and closed the open sliding doors, only leaving the ones at the back of the house open for ventilation. After checking the house with his little bird hopping behind him, he picked up a pair of buckets and nets that were lying on the side of the house. 

“Well, what do you want to pick first?” Fubuki let Aphrodi choose, seeing as this was his first time fruit picking. The newbie wavered for a bit, thinking over the two choices he had. The rumble of a car engine disappearing into the distance spurred his decision as their alone time on a fruit farm was short.

“I want peaches!” The vividly painted sign was still branded in his mind, he wanted those sweet fuzzy fruits.

“Alright, let’s head over towards the peach orchard.” Decision made, they set out along the carefully marked path. Aphrodi brushed against his side and grabbed the nets from his hand to share the load. The curious angel looked this way and that, taking in how different stages of fruit were bagged or netted on the trees to keep them from sun damage. The trees closer to the farm were only beginning to fruit, but grew denser with foliage and fruit as they traveled downwards. 

The two of them stopped upon encountering a hand painted sign that had vivid pink peaches peppering the wood plank canvas. Aphrodi looked up and was greeted with rows of flourishing peach trees. The sweet fruits were rapidly ripening and flourishing branches were bowed with the weight from them all. He ran up to the closest tree and reached up to pick one before remembering who he was with.

“Fubuki, can I just pick them?” This was Endou’s farm after all...he wasn’t sure how the rules worked here and didn’t want to cause trouble. Fubuki strolled over to join him, then reached up and plucked a juicy peach straight off the branch. Biting into it, he savored the fresh taste before offering the peach to Aphrodi. 

“Yep, pick as many as you want. Well, as many as we can fit into one bucket. You should try one, they’re best straight off the branches.” He smiled at Aphrodi’s shocked expression. Feeling playful, he pushed the half-bitten peach against the angel’s cheek. “Not interested?”

“N-no I’m interested! But you didn’t even wash it…,” Fubuki never let him do this, even when they got fresh fruit at home. His lover laughed and took back the peach to take another bite. 

“These ones are fine, Endou makes sure they’re ok to eat off of the tree. Just a little treat that I thought you’d like.” Upon hearing that, Aphrodi reached for the one he was holding and tugged it from his hand. The angel carefully turned the peach, then bit into it, juice sliding down the side of his chin.

“Careful there,” Fubuki laughed at how childish this looked and took out a small kerchief to wipe off the sticky juice. Aphrodi happily ate the rest of the peach, then gingerly held the pit out as he looked around for a trash can.

“Just throw it on the ground, it’ll become fertilizer,” Fubuki instructed, pointing at a few other pits that were already laying on the ground. Probably from when Endou and Rococo had sampled their own crop. Aphrodi followed suit and tossed it carefully onto the ground, then reached up to pluck another one and instantly start eating it. 

“These are so good,” he happily chirped between bites. “They’re so fragrant. I can smell the peach!” 

“You can always smell the peach, silly,” Fubuki began picking the ripened fruit and carefully setting them in one of the buckets. Upon realizing he had two hands, Aphrodi began picking peaches with one and holding a half eaten peach with the other. After knocking a couple peaches to the ground after a particularly brutal tug caused the branch to ricochet, he stuck with picking easily separable ripe ones. 

“Don’t eat too many, you still have cherries, and then dinner.” The bucket was rapidly filling up, along with the angel’s stomach. Fubuki never really knew how much Aphrodi could eat at a time. He seemed to only stop when out of food, especially if it was something he liked. There was no visible change in weight, although he hadn’t picked up the angel in a while so there was no telling. 

“Cherries!” He hopped from foot to foot, then finished the peach he was holding and began picking peaches with both hands. “I can’t wait, I wanna go pick cherries.”

“Alright, once this bucket is done, let’s go find the cherries.” It was quick work, as the bucket was rapidly filled with large and juicy peaches. They left it at the sign, resolving to come and lug it back to the house when they were done with the cherries. No use bringing it along the same road twice. Lightly skipping along, Aphrodi turned to grin at his calmly strolling lover. 

“We should do this more often, this is so fun!” He spun while holding his arms out, then reached back and grasped Fubuki’s free hand. Dragging them both into a slight skip, he pulled them along the narrowing path.

“Be careful of the nets!” Fubuki worried over the two nets grasped in Aphrodi’s other hand, but relaxed as he beheld the smiling angel that led his way. Golden hair flashed this way and that, swaying with both their movements as their skip became a jog. Aphrodi disappeared slightly between the dense foliage, but his hand tightly gripped Fubuki’s the whole time, and a glimpse of his red eyes always shone through. Watching and observing, pushing and pulling.

Leaning forward, Fubuki pursued his prey and pulled Aphrodi back into him as they burst into a sparse clearing. Aphrodi’s laugh was quickly silenced by a kiss on the lips, causing him to drop the nets in surprise. Wrapping his free hand around his lover’s waist, he tugged slightly on Fubuki’s shirt. A little too bold of an action, though, as the passionate kiss was broken off and Fubuki stepped back while refusing to meet Aphrodi’s eyes. 

“Sorry,” he mumbled, running a hand along his arm. Just for a moment, Aphrodi had glimpsed what he’d guessed was hiding under Fubuki’s quiet exterior. He smiled to himself, then clasped his hands behind him and leaned forward to interrupt that downturned gaze. 

“Sorry for what?” he teased, only a little disappointed as to where they’d stopped. Teal eyes still refused to meet him, so Aphrodi decided to drop the topic for now. Looking around, he recognized some of the bright little red fruits hanging from the branches. The leaves here were a different shape, and all the trees looked picked through. 

“Endou wasn’t kidding about this being the end of cherry season,” Aphrodi remarked, spinning in place while surveying the sparse boughs. “Sure doesn’t smell like hanami here.” 

“Those are different cherries,” Fubuki finally spoke, having composed himself after the earlier burst of...whatever that was. “These ones are edible. Although...it seems like all the low hanging fruit has been picked off.” He looked around, noting that they still had the nets but cherries were too light to be hooked into a net. Reaching up to pick one of the cherries, he observed how it felt more like a loaded miniature water balloon. 

“The ones below are too ripe…,” he looked up, then jumped and grasped a branch out of the air. Bending the entire branch down, he dropped the bucket and reached up to sample some of the cherries. These ones weren’t overripe, and half of them were good enough to pick. Stripping down the entire branch with a quick fist, he sampled one. Nice and tart, with just a hint of sweetness along the edges. Spitting out the pit, he held out a handful to Aphrodi who simply ignored it. The angel was instead looking at the highest branches that were still laden with red fruit.

“Do you think Endou and Rococo are back yet?” Aphrodi asked, cocking his head slightly to follow the loaded boughs above. 

“No...I don’t think so, it’s only been an hour. They wouldn’t even have made a round trip without stopping in that time,” came a confused answer.

“And no one else is on the farm right?” 

“No...why are you- Aphrodi!!!” Fubuki cried out as the angel shed his white haori with surprising speed and jumped into the air, flapping his wings vigorously and launching himself into the upper branches. Upon reaching the uppermost branch, he balanced carefully on it, wings splaying open and blocking out part of the sun. Fubuki squinted up, seeing Aphrodi’s full wingspan for the first time and wondering how it ever fit under the discarded haori next to him. Brilliant white pinions stretched through the air as the feral angel grinned down at him, sitting down on the plentiful branch. 

“Stick up the net!” he called down, filling his pockets with cherries and kicking his legs in excitement. “There’s so many up here!” 

“Aphrodi! Get down! What if someone sees you?!” Fubuki shifted from foot to foot, looking all around to make sure no one was nearby. He bent down and picked up the bucket, unsure if he could make the angel come down and deposit the fruit himself. 

“I can’t see anyone for miles around! The view’s beautiful up here, I wish you could see...oh?” A mischievous look entered Aphrodi’s eyes. One that Fubuki could spot even from the ground. 

“Oh no, what are you thinking? Aphrodi!” Feathers cut through the air as the angel landed softly next to him, white wings brushing against the lowest boughs of the trees. Strong and powerful, the broken wing had healed nicely and regained muscle mass through regular exercise. Aphrodi reached out and grasped him around the waist, tossing him slightly in the air and then catching him in a princess carry. 

“Hold on tight!” Aphrodi called out with a wide smile, pushing off the ground with a couple measured wingbeats. Fubuki made the mistake of looking down and cried out, finding his only solution was to grasp Aphrodi’s waist tightly and shut his eyes as they moved up through the air. The empty plastic bucket in his hand knocked against the angel’s hip, still tightly gripped throughout the entire process. 

“You can open your eyes now,” an amused voice called out to him, although they were still swaying slightly in space. 

“You bastard,” Fubuki muttered, carefully cracking open one eye to survey his surroundings. The first thing he saw was the sheer amount of cherries all around him. All the fruit up top had been left untouched as they were too hard to reach. The second thing he saw took his breath away, as he turned his head and glimpsed the endless orchard that extended in all directions around them. Endou and Rococo’s farm was big, he’d always known that after spending days helping on the farm in peak season. Yet he’d never really appreciated the size for what it was. Seeing the neat rows of green-leaved trees stretching into distant specks, he didn't understand how these two managed to run the whole farm by themselves. Country farmers were another breed. 

“Beautiful, right?” Aphrodi smiled, taking in the distant blue mountains and patchwork of fields that could be seen spanning all around the fruit farm. Clouds moved slowly overhead, lending a lazy feeling to the entire scene. He felt Fubuki relax slightly in his arms and eased his lover to a nearby branch nook to sit in. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll catch you if you fall,” he further assured his cautious lover. Teal eyes glared at him again and Fubuki wrapped an arm around the nearest branch. 

“I’ll trust in myself, not in some frivolous angel, thank you very much.” Fubuki replied through gritted teeth. Aphrodi smiled at him, chin propped on one hand and red eyes watching through the swaying branches. A light breeze blew through, rustling the thinner branches and veiling portions of Fubuki’s sight. Red cherries bounced in the breeze, tempting and reminding him of what they were here for. Aphrodi reached up and plucked a pair, eating one and holding the remaining solitary cherry out to Fubuki. 

“Come on, my love.” 

Fubuki sighed upon hearing that, knowing just exactly who and what he was so weak to. Hanging the bucket on a branch between the two of them, he began picking the fresh cherries up top. Red eyes twinkling with amusement watched him refuse the proffered cherry. 

“Let’s finish this up quickly, I don’t want anyone finding out about your wings. Or how we got up here.” Practiced hands pulled off bunches of cherries at a time, dropping them in the hanging bucket. “Instead of nibbling at everything like a wild bird, why don’t you help?”

“This little wild bird prefers eating very fresh cherries,” Aphrodi delicately answered, arcing his wings slightly to further shade themselves from the sun. Despite saying otherwise, he began to pick cherries with one hand while snacking. After eating his fill, he climbed onto another branch and settled in against Fubuki while stripping off more cherries. Leaning over Fubuki, he plucked a few from above the boy’s head and gifted a forehead kiss at the same time. 

“Hey!” Fubuki swatted at him but was unable to keep up the pretense of anger after that. Aphrodi laughed and showered him with some more kisses, snuggling up against him. 

“You’re much cuter without furrowed brows,” Aphrodi praised him, coming close and wrapping an arm around his waist while sneaking another kiss on the lips. “I’ve always wanted to take you flying,” he whispered, resting his head on Fubuki’s neck. 

“Maybe another day we can go into the mountains and you can take me again, _without_ surprising me,” Fubuki replied, relaxing against the warmth radiating from his right side. The bucket was rapidly filling up, and they didn’t even have to move. There were still plenty of cherries all around them. He felt a bit of disappointment at having to go back down so quickly, it was nice up here despite his earlier complaints. The urgency of their situation weighed on him, though, and he couldn’t relish this moment as much as he wanted. After some more branches were stripped, their bucket was full and ready to be brought back down. 

“I’ll bring the bucket down first,” the gracious angel offered, seeing how precariously full it was. He unlatched the bucket and lightly sprung off the branch, leaving Fubuki alone in the tree. Fubuki watched as Aphrodi landed below, barely having to beat his wings other than when he’d gotten close to crashing into the ground. After setting the bucket down, he turned back up and flew straight to Fubuki. Wind stirred up by the wingbeats buffeted Fubuki’s face, ruffling his silver bangs and brushing against his cheeks. Aphrodi’s smile was brilliant, shining like the sun he blocked out with his wings while extending a hand to his lover. Fubuki smiled in response, letting himself be hugged up against the warm body and then scooped into a princess carry. This time, he kept his eyes open, and watched as the view shifted around him as they flew-up!

“Aphrodi!! Where are we going?!” 

Aphrodi laughed as Fubuki gripped onto his shoulders tighter. He spun up through the air, long golden hair spreading all around him as he defied gravity. 

“Look!” He called out, swaying slightly in midair as he showed Fubuki the sights he used to take for granted. Fubuki looked away from his lover’s face and sucked in a breath as he beheld the sprawling farmlands below. Rolling fields of green sparkled in the afternoon sunlight as cloud shadows drifted across them. The mountains could be seen all around the edge, giants looming up into the air. The sky was bright and clear, changing hues of blue as it stretched all around them. He looked down and saw the neat orchard trees below, far enough that the hanging fruits weren’t visible anymore. 

“It’s beautiful,” he whispered, looking back into Aphrodi’s red eyes that softened upon hearing this comment. The angel snuck a kiss on the lips, wings conveniently blocking out the view from a flock of confused sparrows that shot past them, twittering in annoyance. Satisfied with the result, Aphrodi began their descent and all too quickly landed lightly on the ground next to the cherry tree. He set Fubuki down, then picked up the discarded haori and shrugged it back on. 

“Alright, you ready to go back?” Aphrodi asked his slightly stunned lover with a grin. Dodging a swatted hand, he giggled and grabbed the full cherry bucket to skip back towards the farmhouse. 

\---

“Are these your spoils from today?” Endou came over to take a look at the buckets set near the open sliding doors as Rococo stirred the sukiyaki in the hearth pot. Fubuki and Aphrodi were sitting on the veranda, enjoying the cool evening breeze while watching stars appear in the orange and blue streaked sky. The sun had set below the distant mountains but its light still stretched upwards into the air. 

“Yeah!” Aphrodi eagerly pushed a heavy bucket towards the curious farmer. Endou ran an expert hand over the fruit, then paused upon feeling some of the cherries. 

“These ones...aren’t they from the top of the trees?” He rolled the firm cherries in his hand, somehow knowing that cherries of this quality couldn’t be found on the low hanging branches anymore.

“We knocked them down with nets,” Fubuki quickly interrupted, forgetting just how well a farmer knew his own crops. 

“Huh, didn’t know you could do that.” Endou remarked, impressed with his friend’s ingenuity. “Either way, good work! These are all prime fruit, if I may say so myself!” He thumped his chest with pride, smiling at the fruits of his labor. 

“Your fruits are the best, Endou!” Aphrodi heaped on the praise, truly appreciating the fruit farmer’s hard work. 

“Aw, thanks! This year, we--” he was quickly cut off by Rococo banging the metal ladle on the side of the pot. 

“It’s ready! Come eat! Fubuki, we used your cabbage here!” The diligent cook sat back from the boiling hearth, wiping sweat off of his brow. The rest of them had absconded to the cool veranda after watching the initial prep steps. No surprise, considering how hot it was next to the open fire. Stoking it with some more wood, he turned to see that Endou was now foraging in the kitchen for some more guest bowls. 

“Oh!!! It’s ready!” Aphrodi got up to trot over, then turned to reach down a hand towards Fubuki. “Let’s go!” 

Smiling, Fubuki took his hand, keeping an eye on the wings hidden under the white haori. Hand in hand, they walked over to join the other happy couple already surrounding the warm hearth. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Japanese Hearth](https://tokyobling.wordpress.com/2013/12/18/irori-the-japanese-hearth/) \- A good overview of a Japanese hearth and its uses and the construction behind it.  
> [Sukiyaki](https://www.justonecookbook.com/sukiyaki/) \- A good hearty meal! Almost like hot pot.


	13. sweet potatoes

“Heyyyyy, Fubuki’s boyfriend!” 

Aphrodi immediately turned around upon being referred to as such, puffing out his chest and preening slightly while looking for the speaker. Rika waved at him from the end of the aisle, one hand tucked in her blue worker’s apron. 

“Rika! Hiiiiii,” he skipped over to greet her after putting the bag of chips back onto the shelf. “How are you?”

“Doing _great_! How’s your shoulder, handsome?” She eyed him up and down, noting how the boy seemed to be practically glowing. The couple had showed up every once in a while together at the store since their relationship had been made official. Fubuki looked much happier in general, and Aphrodi was now much more open. 

“Hm? Oh, it’s alright…,” Aphrodi cautiously replied, knowing better than to outright say it had healed. He’d seen Fubuki get roped into unwanted labor far too much to let his excuse go. 

“Well, good to hear! Because you and Fubuki have a big package at the front counter! I think Fubuki’s already there checking it out so I came to fetch you.” Rika grabbed his wrist and dragged him along through the store to the front register. Aphrodi was regretting not grabbing the pack of chips now that he couldn’t return to the aisle. It wasn’t everyday that he came on a trip to the general store. The front register came into view, along with Fubuki staring at a large cardboard box with his arms crossed. He looked up upon hearing the rapid pair of footsteps closing in and nodded at the two newcomers. 

“Ohhh what’s that?” Aphrodi reached out to touch the box and was surprisingly not swatted away. He pushed it slightly and realized that the object within was quite heavy. Picking at the plastic zip ties running around it, he tried to read the cramped text on the side. 

“A new space heater,” Fubuki replied, sighing and rubbing his neck with one hand. “Our old one broke after you overused it last winter. I figured I’d order a new, bigger one for this coming winter. Although I didn’t expect it to be _this_ big.” The size was a real problem as his car was not able to fit this box into the trunk. If he laid down the passenger seat, that might work, but then Aphrodi had nowhere to sit. Their whole trip today had been to come pick this up, and now he couldn’t even bring it back home. 

“Oh right, your car is a bit small, huh.” Touko leaned on the counter, sizing up the package. “Hmm...we have a few bungee cords, you can tie it on top of your car if you want. Just return the cords next time you come back.” 

“My car doesn’t have a rack,” Fubuki protested. “What if it slips off while I drive!?” 

“Aw it’ll be alright, just tie it down nicely.” Rika waved a hand at him while Touko went to find the aforementioned bungee cords. “Touko can help you tie it down, she’s a good hand at this stuff.” She pushed her way into the register and perched on the chair there, waiting for any other customers. Considering Aphrodi and Fubuki were the only ones there, it was mostly just for show. Touko quickly returned with a whole handful of bungee cords, ready to get to work. 

Under her swift guidance, all four of them managed to get the package out the door and onto the car roof. Fubuki watched with a wary eye, fearful that his roof might not be able to take the unexpected weight. Touko worked all around the car, securing the bungee hooks in through the open car windows. 

“This should be good!” She remarked, patting the side of the package and watching it bounce back under the bungee cords securing it. “Just drive slow and you should make it.” 

“I don’t know about this,” Fubuki sadly replied, warily eyeing the entire mess of cords criss-crossing the large cardboard box. “I guess I’ll just drive home extremely slowly.” He opened the driver’s side door and eyed the hook that snaked in through his open window to latch onto the roof handle. The passenger door creaked open and Aphrodi wedged himself in, admiring the handiwork that decorated the entire car. Fubuki started up the car and held his breath as he shifted into drive. After he took his foot off the brake pedal, the car began slowly rolling forward and a muted sliding sound could be heard from above. 

“Aphrodi...can you keep your eye on the back window while I drive? I need to keep my eyes on the road but I want you to let me know if the package looks like it’ll fall off.” The brave driver grit his teeth and slowly pushed down on the gas pedal. They began to incrementally move faster as the car rolled towards the parking lot exit. 

“Sure!” Aphrodi turned in his seat and waved back at the two girls who were sending them off from the front door. He kept his head turned as they headed onto the main road, pretending to not hear the package slide across the roof as Fubuki took a particularly sharp turn. All was going well as they made their way home, driving just under the speed limit and taking _very_ slow turns. Luckily, most cars gave them a wide berth after seeing the delicately strapped package on their roof. Aphrodi relaxed as they headed onto the lesser-traveled roads, confident that they wouldn’t meet much trouble now that they were out of the main part of town. 

Letting his eyes and mind wander, Aphrodi noted the changing color of the scenery rushing by the car windows. Leaves were turning brilliant shades of orange and red, and even more were scattered all across the ground. They’d have to sweep up some more leaves today, as the trees at home were growing bare with the changing seasons. Soon, they’d be in the peak of autumn. Shortly after that, winter would set in, the longest season in Hokkaido. Thinking back to how he had first met Fubuki, he was grateful that things had turned out this way. If only they could take the next step-

A loud series of honks sounded from the front of the car, interrupting his thoughts. Fubuki slammed on the brakes at this sudden noise, panicking at the unexpected situation. Aphrodi whipped his head around and saw their biggest fear. The forceful brake had caused the package to continue along its planned trajectory and it now shot forward from the roof, sliding down the front windshield and tipping down onto the road. 

“Oh shit,” Aphrodi remarked, stunned in place as he noted the corner of the package was now dented. The culprit of all this was the truck that was now stopped in the opposing lane where a familiar pink-haired tan man was leaning out of the window to eye the forlorn cardboard box. A mortified Tachimukai was staring at the entire scene from the passenger seat with a hand covering his mouth. Everyone looked at each other for a moment before scrambling to get out of their respective cars and inspect the damage. 

“Fubuki! Sorry!!!” Tsunami hurried over and squatted down next to the box. “I hope this wasn’t fragile….”

“It might be alright, it slid down sort of slowly,” Fubuki worried over the box, trying to check if there was any other damage. “Although now I don’t know if we can get it back onto the roof….” The box was starting to split open, and any extra movement threatened to further peel it apart. 

“Are you trying to get that back home?” Tachimukai ran his hands over one another, feeling awful at having let Tsunami honk at Fubuki’s car. “We can help you bring it back in our truck. What is it?”

“A new space heater,” Aphrodi gloomily replied, his winter hopes having been dashed just like that. Electronics were still fairly new to him, but even _he_ knew that it probably wouldn’t survive being bashed to the ground. 

“Oh no, you’re from Tokyo, right? You’ll freeze without this!” He turned and spurred his husband into action. “Tsunami, get the truck turned around, let’s get this package on there and go!”

\---

The four of them clustered around the new space heater, itself looking no worse for the wear after the entire trip. Tall, sleek, and black, it was a newer model that boasted several levels of heat and a large heating radius. Tsunami rubbed it, trying to spot if there were any minor cracks along the plastic shell but found none. 

“Moment of truth,” Fubuki commented as he plugged it into the outlet. Aphrodi reached over and pressed the power button, then held his breath. There was no response for a moment, then a loud beep sounded and the small LED screen lit up. 

“Whoo!” Tsunami clapped his hands, relieved that it was still working. “Looks like it’s good!”

“Wait, let’s cycle through the different settings,” Tachimukai stopped his husband from any premature celebration. “Who knows if we knocked loose some wire inside or something.” 

“Oh, right.” Tsunami wilted slightly but went ahead and chose the lowest heat setting. Everyone waited with a hand near the grills, trying to block out any outside wind in order to be the first to feel a change in temperature. 

“I feel it!” Aphrodi called out, being the most sensitive to temperature changes in the house. A slight warmth had begun radiating from the space heater, brushing against his skin. His claim was quickly echoed by everyone else and Tsunami reached up to begin moving through the different levels of heat. Upon being blasted with what felt like the sun itself, Fubuki reached over and turned the entire heater off.

“Well, I think we can conclude it works just fine.” Sitting back with a sigh of relief, he pulled against the front of his shirt to try and work some cooler air in. The highest setting was more than he’d imagined, something he’d have to find an even ground on with Aphrodi in the dead of winter. 

“That’s good,” Tachimukai finally relaxed, letting loose a breath he’d unwittingly been holding back. “So sorry about that, Fubuki. We were trying to get your attention because we wanted to give you some sweet potatoes.”

“Oh right! The sweet potatoes!” Tsunami bolted up from where he’d been sitting and ran out to the truck. A few door slams later, he came back in and deposited a hefty plastic bag in the middle of the group. “Tachimukai got a bunch from a student the other day, and we’ve just been carrying them around in the truck to give to whoever we saw.”

“Sweet potatoes?” Aphrodi peered at the clear plastic bag and saw the fat brown tubers covered in dirt. “Huh.”

“I don’t normally buy sweet potatoes, but this is nice.” Fubuki pulled one out and inspected it. Considering the amount in this bag, Tachimukai must’ve received a large box of them. “We could put it on rice...make some sweets….”

“Or cook them in a leaf pile!” Tsunami nodded at his own suggestion, remembering the pile of leaves outside Fubuki’s side door. “I’m sure city boy over here hasn’t experienced that before!” 

“What? Why a leaf pile? How’s that going to cook this?” The lone city boy asked in confusion as he picked at the thin threads coming off of the sweet potato in Fubuki’s hand. The rest of the group laughed at his question, which inadvertently proved Tsunami’s claim. 

“We won’t _just_ be throwing them in a leaf pile,” his kind lover clarified. “We’ll sweep up all the leaves and then set it on fire. Wrap these in wet newspaper and aluminum foil and throw it in the pile. After half an hour, you’ll have a nice baked sweet potato!” 

“Oh, that sounds fun!” Aphrodi rolled the thick root in his hand, wondering how it would taste baked. He’d had it in sweets before but not really in any other form. _Sweet_ potato, though, so maybe...maybe it’d be naturally sweet. 

“It is fun! Although Tachimukai and I have to head out into town still, so we’ll leave you to it. We have enough sweet potatoes as it is to last us a while,” Tsunami stood up, stretching to get rid of the tension that had been running through him. 

“Where were you heading? Here, have some vegetables from the garden.” Fubuki went to the kitchen and pulled out a whole head of cabbage and some ears of corn. Placing them in a plastic bag, he handed it to Tachimukai who was already waiting at the front door. 

“We were heading to the general store,” Tachimukai answered, catching his breath a bit at the weight of the cabbage that landed in his arms. “To buy some goods and also give Touko and Rika some of the sweet potatoes as well.” 

“Oh perfect, can you take the bungee cords back for me? That would save me a whole trip.”

“Of course!” His eager friend replied, happy to help after causing so much trouble.

They exited the house together and Fubuki quickly bundled up the cords and handed them over. Soon after, the married couple drove off, Tachimukai waving goodbye to them from an open window as a cabbage rolled around the truck bed. 

“Well, that’s that.” Fubuki spoke aloud to himself, then turned upon hearing sweeping sounds from behind him. Aphrodi was diligently gathering up all the extra fallen leaves with the broom and adding to the original mound. There wasn’t too much more, as Fubuki had just swept two days ago, but it was a noble effort. 

“Let’s eat dinner first before we gorge ourselves on baked sweet potatoes,” he laughed upon seeing the angel working with such zest. “I’ll cook less than usual, so you’ll still have plenty of space to eat afterwards. Although...it shouldn’t matter for you.” Aphrodi laughed in response, self aware for once, as he continued rounding up the remaining stray leaves. Fubuki smiled, then went over to help point out any missed leaves. 

\---

_He’s excessively clingy today_ , Fubuki thought to himself as he prodded the smoldering pile of leaves with a stick. They’d prepped half the sweet potatoes before starting to eat dinner and were now checking how well they’d cooked in the half hour since. Aphrodi was pressing into his side, a hand around his waist and playing with the hem of his shirt. Over the past few months the angel had gotten increasingly bold and into his personal space. Each time, though, Fubuki had subtly shaken him off. Aphrodi wasn’t stupid and could read the room, but he also lacked patience. 

“Looks like they’re ready,” he glanced up at the darkening sky as he spoke. A wash of deep blue came from the east, appearing earlier and earlier each day. He could see the moon already, pale and white in the distance. Almost a year now since he’d picked up an injured angel on his garden path. A lot had changed since then, but he didn’t mind any of it. A warm hand wrapped around his, forcing him to use the stick and roughly brush aside the upper leaves. 

“Where areeee theyyyyy,” Aphrodi’s petulant cry echoed his impatient actions. Fubuki regained control of the stick and gently turned aside some of the lower leaves to expose blackened lumps. 

“Here-wait! No! You can’t just grab them!” He’d been prepared for the eager bird to immediately go for the piping hot sweet potatoes and dropped the stick to grab Aphrodi by the waist. “They’re straight out of a fire! You’ll burn yourself!” 

“I have to _wait?!_ ” The angel complained, sitting back to pout before realizing that Fubuki was hugging him tightly. Immediately switching gears, he melted into his lover’s arms, coyly looking up into those teal eyes. “Well actually, I don’t mind waiting if you’re going to hold me like this the whole time.” 

“Aphrodi!” Scandalized, Fubuki let go, only to have the problem bird immediately lunge straight for the sweet potatoes again. He managed to grab Aphrodi’s arm and drag him back into his arms. “No! You’re smarter than that! Also, aren’t you supposed to be a virtuous angel?! Why are you like this?!”

“Well…,” golden lashes were batted up at him as Aphrodi reached up to brush a finger against his lips. “I _am_ off the clock right now, I should enjoy myself, right? Although later when I’m on the clock, I’m sure no one would mind, either.”

“Aphrodi….”

Amused, the aforementioned angel enjoyed how strangled of a sound Fubuki managed to make while saying his name. Slipping a hand under the back of Fubuki’s shirt, he gave a sly smile while testing the limits. 

“We have time, right? Didn’t you say I have to wait for them to cool?” He sat up straighter to nip at Fubuki’s burning red earlobe. Deciding to throw caution to the winds, he tried pulling up on his lover’s shirt. He still remembered the view from when they’d bathed together that one time. Fubuki hadn’t allowed him in after that, and he stayed clean enough on his own to not have to bathe often. Dirt baths were nice, but didn’t give him the opportunity to see a soaked shirt clinging to Fubuki’s chest. 

“N-not here!” Fubuki could barely get his protests straight as he tried to push off the aggressive angel. “We’re on the _veranda!_ ”

“Oh? So is inside alright then?” With one swift movement, Aphrodi scooped him up and barreled in through the house, roughly depositing both of them in the bedroom. Reaching behind him, he slammed the screen door shut then rested his chin on Fubuki’s chest, tapping it with his fingers. 

“Unless you don’t want to?” Red eyes slanted to the side, fingers tracing along Fubuki’s collarbone. He’d stop if told to, but felt like they’d run in circles for another decade if he wasn’t forceful enough. The room was dark, but enough light still came in through the windows from the setting sun that he could see the pale sheen on Fubuki’s skin. Coaxing his lover along, he gave a soft kiss on the exposed neck. 

Fubuki looked up sharply at this sudden touch, then accidentally met Aphrodi’s eyes. Red eyes, golden hair, a coy but devilish look. He reached up and pulled off the haori, seeing how easily it slid off to reveal the two white wings. The only part of Aphrodi that marked him as different from a human. Otherwise...well...Fubuki had seen the angel in the nude by accident more than once. He knew what was under the thin cotton jinbei that Aphrodi was wearing. The neck of which was drooping in a much more low-cut fashion than he’d remembered a jinbei could go. 

He heaved a sigh. This would’ve happened sooner or later. He’d been trying to hold back this very last bit, trying to make himself understand that this was an angel he was dealing with and not a human. A part of him had been worried that angels couldn’t...do things like this. Evidently proven very wrong with how forward Aphrodi was being now. His little bird reached over and picked up his hand, kissing the top of it without breaking eye contact. 

_Ah_ , _that devilish songbird._

Aphrodi was cautiously preening when Fubuki suddenly pulled him down, kissing him on the lips and sneaking a hand under his top. Feathers snapping at this unexpected bold move, Aphrodi stiffened before realizing what was happening. Ecstatic at this development, he simply let Fubuki take the lead, confident that his lover’s hidden side would be more than enough. 

\---

The two of them sat together on the veranda eating cold sweet potatoes. The moon was high and bright overhead, its full face shining down on them in a wash of white moonlight. Despite being left out for so long, the potatoes were soft and tender with a perfectly sweet taste. Aphrodi ate his, skin and all, after peeling aside the blackened foil and withered newspaper. Rustling his wings, he leaned on Fubuki, completely content after the last few hours. His currently shy lover was munching stoically on his own sweet potato, watching the stars above. Aphrodi peeked over, then took a bite out of Fubuki’s sweet potato. 

“Hey!” Fubuki didn’t even bother lifting a hand now, Aphrodi would take whatever he wanted regardless. “It’s the same sweet potato….”

“Yours tastes sweeter just because you’re holding it,” the natural flirt responded. Smiling at his lover, he gave a kiss on the lips for just a little taste. Fubuki sighed and leaned back, noting how warm the air was tonight. Hopefully it wasn’t just residual body heat from earlier. Aphrodi followed his gaze out into the nearby wilderness, then suddenly sat straight up. 

“Aphrodi?” Fubuki immediately noticed the change in behavior and turned to squint at the same area. All he saw was murky darkness, maybe some swaying tall grass….

“I see something,” Aphrodi murmured, gripping his sweet potato and getting up from the veranda. Sandals slapping against his bare feet, he walked in the direction of distant movement. Cautious, Fubuki felt for his knife and realized it was inside next to his futon. They’d only just thrown on clothes afterwards to grab some sweet potatoes. Aphrodi wasn’t even wearing his haori - if they met a local here he’d have a lot of explaining to do. 

“Aphrodi, wait!” He called out, then turned to grab the fire stick and ran after the slowly walking angel. Cautiously holding a half-eaten sweet potato in one hand and a stick in another, he advanced after his mesmerized bird. Panicked thoughts ran through his head, ranging from some sort of angel call to a straight up random bear in the woods. Either way, he was really not prepared for any sort of confrontation. Luckily, the full moon lit up everything quite well as he moved forward, leaving very little room for surprises. The moment he thought that, Aphrodi suddenly ran forward through the tall grass, nearly disappearing from sight. 

“APHRODI!” Fubuki sprinted forward, nearly losing his grip on his own sweet potato. He stopped upon finding the angel standing in the middle of a long field of grass. Streaks of light flew all around him, scattering in the air in irregular flight patterns. Stopping short, Fubuki looked around to see that the entire field was full of small and yellow glowing dots. Fireflies, thousands of them, coming alive in the dead of night to light up their surroundings. Faint spots of yellow intermittently lit up Aphrodi’s figure as the angel looked back at him and then smiled widely. 

“Aren’t these beautiful? I saw them from the veranda and thought they were fallen stars.” Aphrodi held out his free hand, watching the streaks of light dance across his palm. A warm breeze blew through, scattering the lights this way and that for a moment before they returned to their original flight patterns. Fubuki stepped over, stopping at Aphrodi’s side and watching the flickering lights swirl around them. 

“You saw these all the way from the veranda?!” He hadn’t ever spotted these, although this late in the season was extremely unusual. It might be due to the strangely warm night that the last few fireflies had emerged for a final dance. 

“Yeah? Can’t you see them?” The angel turned to face him, muted red eyes watching in the dark. Fubuki had the distinct impression that there were some senses that angels possessed higher facilities of. 

“Not from the veranda, no.” He finished the last few bites of his sweet potato, eyeing the unexpected sight. A low wind blew through again and he shivered at the sudden cold. Immediately after that, a soft wing wrapped around him and a warm figure shielded him from the elements. Fubuki crumpled the leftover foil and passed it to his other hand, then ran the now-free hand along the large white feathers. So soft and light, he couldn’t believe how these granted Aphrodi the power of flight. 

“Well, I’m glad I could see them so I could bring you here,” Aphrodi smiled, reaching over to catch Fubuki’s hand and hold it tight. “I’m sorry I moved so quickly, I thought they’d disappear.” 

“I suppose they would, before tomorrow, but at least it wasn’t something more serious.” Fubuki watched as some of the fireflies flew higher out of the grass, leaving streaks of light in their wake. Glancing to the side, he saw Aphrodi gently watching the same fireflies dance in the night, his long hair illuminated from behind by raw moonlight. Gold and silver mixed together as a nighttime breeze blew through, ruffling some stray wisps of hair into the air. His little bird seemed fixated on the insects, then suddenly eyed him as if to check for his presence. 

Aphrodi smiled, a soft, gentle smile that was full of love and Fubuki felt his heart melt again. Clutching their entwined hands tighter, he pulled down and forced his angel to stoop a bit before giving him a kiss on the lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Sweet Potatoes in leaves](https://web-japan.org/kidsweb/archives/news/04-02/yakiimo.html)-The best reference I could find in English to what I'm referring to. It's a great experience!  
> \---
> 
> Firefly night


	14. fried chicken

The air was full of cheer, white snowflakes whirling about as Aphrodi followed Fubuki into the general store. Winter was here in full force and the kindness of all the locals had shone through with how many second hand winter clothes he’d received. With the new space heater, the kotatsu, and all the warm gifts he’d gotten, Aphrodi didn’t fear the winter weather anymore. Vision partially obscured by the thick red scarf that wrapped all around his neck, he had to stick close to Fubuki in order to not lose sight of his lover. 

“Hello, you two! Merry Christmas!” Touko was wearing a red and white santa hat, while Rika sported a pair of reindeer antlers that had tinsel wrapped around them. A sparkling gold ornament hung from the tip of each antler, glinting in the indoor light. The inside of the general store was decorated with all sorts of Christmas decorations. They were obviously reused every year, as parts of the tinsel were thinning out and some ornament paint was flaking off. Aphrodi, however, was most fascinated by the Christmas lights. He stood in front of the clear freezers, enraptured by the twinkling lights strung above.

“It’s just like the fireflies…,” he whispered, red eyes reflecting the sparkling lights. Fubuki smothered a laugh as he heard the remark and turned away to pick up some packs of chicken legs. Just one pack was enough for the two of them, then he went to find some more vegetable oil and milk. Aphrodi trailed along after him, commenting on all the different Christmas decorations. Fubuki found this quite amusing, considering that here it was just a fun celebration with none of the Christian roots. He’d come to accept that Aphrodi was extremely laissez-faire about his job and mostly lived to enjoy life in general with minimal fuss. 

“Oh, just this?” Rika leaned over to see their basket contents. “Wow, making fried chicken tonight? How romantic~” 

“This, too!” Aphrodi dumped a handful of potato chips into the basket, then started to wander off until Fubuki caught his coat sleeve. 

“Nope, stay around here, I’m not making two transactions today.” Fubuki firmly rounded him back up to his side, noticing how the angel instantly became compliant when hugged at the waist. Troublesome little bird. 

“Aphrodi watched one too many commercials on TV and insisted on having fried chicken on Christmas night.” He explained to the giggling girls as they rang him up. “Since we don’t have a fried chicken joint in town, I have to make it myself.” 

“ _We’ll_ be making it,” Aphrodi clarified, snuggling up against his lover. “Fried chicken!” 

“Yes, yes.” Fubuki had to let go in order to pull out his wallet and pay, but the flighty bird stayed put this time. He was staring at an angel decoration that spun lazily from the ceiling. Halo and all, the paper angel was blowing on a golden trumpet. 

“Well, your cooking is always good, so it should taste even better than KFC! Although I wonder how Aki’s doing, she went to America to visit Ichinose, right? She can eat the real deal….” Rika tapped a finger on her lip, remembering how many Japanese snacks Aki had bought before setting out. Apparently, her boyfriend missed quite a bit of authentic food that he couldn’t get over in the states. 

“I heard they don’t eat KFC for Christmas in America,” Touko remarked as she typed in the last item. “What _do_ they eat? Those log cakes?”

“That might be Europe….” Fubuki remarked, realizing that none of them knew very much about international traditions. 

“Aphrodi, where are you from again? What are your Christmas traditions there?” Rika remembered that they had a foreigner in their midst. Bobbing christmas ornaments flashed in the air as she turned to face the stricken angel. 

“Uhhh well, it’s just a normal day for us? We don’t really like...play trumpets and stuff.” He replied, attention snapping back to the two girls instead of the paper ornaments. 

“Trumpets? Some European country?” Touko asked, curious as to what instruments had to do with the rest of Aphrodi’s background. 

“Touko, we really should be going, I think the blizzard’s getting worse outside.” Fubuki interrupted the dangerously veering conversation. All four of them glanced out the front doors to see the densifying wall of white flakes fly by. 

“You’re right...well, safe drive! And whatever traditions you have, enjoy this special Japanese one!” The two girls waved them goodbye as they exited the store. Braving the few steps to the car, Aphrodi clambered in and waited for Fubuki to start driving as he rubbed his palms against each other. 

“That was close,” Fubuki muttered, depositing the groceries on Aphrodi’s lap and turning on the windshield wipers. “Next time, just feign that you don’t understand the Japanese, OK?” 

“A bit hard when I’m starting to pick up your Hokkaido accent, but I’ll try,” Aphrodi teased in response, leaning into the warm car vents as they began the drive home.

\---

“Aphrodi, be careful with the oil,” Fubuki trusted his partner more in the kitchen now, but still worried over any potential injuries. The angel was currently poking at the simmering pan of oil with a long wooden chopstick, trying to test the temperature without getting close. 

“I know, I know,” he responded before turning to eye the chicken process on the counter. They’d liberally mixed spices together with flour to form the breading and were currently rolling the milk-covered chicken pieces in the bowl. Aphrodi poked one of them with his chopstick and relished in hearing the sizzling sound upon contact. 

“Heh, looks like the oil’s hot enough.” He helped push the pieces in the powder around a bit more, then glanced out the kitchen window. It was dark outside already, despite not even being dinnertime yet. Christmas lights would really brighten up the whole thing, but with how much Fubuki worried over the power bill he’d settle for fried chicken. 

“Alright, let’s put them in. Get the racks out.” Fubuki separated out the powdered chicken onto a plate and moved it next to the hot pan of oil. Aphrodi went and fetched out the cooling racks that they’d used before for karaage. Setting paper towels underneath the racks, he sidled up to watch the cooking process. The two of them held their breaths as Fubuki picked up the first piece and then dropped it into the golden oil. 

A hiss sounded, then bubbles enveloped the rapidly frying chicken as it simmered on the pan. Satisfied that the temperature was correct, the two of them worked to fill up the entire pan with chicken. After turning them once each, the lid was put on and the chicken was left to cook. Fubuki took that time to cook some more proper side dishes, such as a vegetable stir fry. He didn’t want the angel to only eat straight fried chicken the whole night. Aphrodi curiously washed some rice and set the rice cooker. Evidently he wanted to eat American fried chicken with Japanese rice….

The beeping timer cut through his thoughts while plating the stir fry. The two of them convened on the covered pan, then carefully lifted off the lid. Steam billowed out, forcing them to step back for a moment before checking the product. 

“Looks a little soggy,” Aphrodi remarked, noting how oil and water coated the breaded chicken. 

“We have to fry it for a bit longer, get the water out,” Fubuki clarified, turning the pieces again. He split one open just to check if the meat had cooked all the way. Streaks of white meat met his probing chopstick and he pushed the opening closed, satisfied with the result. A few more minutes of carefully turning the pieces had them brown and crispy on the outside. Picking up the closest one with his chopsticks, he brought it over to the rack and set it down to cool. Aphrodi reached over with his own pair and quickly transferred them all over. The kitchen was full of warm steam and heat, even Aphrodi was fanning himself slightly with his wings. 

All too soon, the rice was ready and the remaining dishes were all plated. Callously sticking a finger onto one of the fried chicken pieces, Aphrodi checked the temperature and was satisfied that the flakey exterior broke off with a crunch when he poked it.

“Aphrodi! Just plate them!” Fubuki had spotted his action, causing the angel to duck his head to hide a smile. Fetching the largest plate he could find, he lined it with paper towels and moved the warm fried chicken pieces onto them. Bringing it out to the kotatsu table, he set it down in the middle on the waiting coaster. Fubuki was already kneeling next to the table, arranging the different plates to accommodate the newcomer. 

“Ah, I forgot!” Aphrodi turned and hurried back inside to pull out another smaller plate. He came out and carefully pulled a couple pieces of the meal onto it. Three pieces of fried chicken, some rice, and Fubuki’s side dishes decorated the white porcelain plate. 

“What’s that for?” Fubuki asked, confused as to this sudden meal arrangement.

“Your family!” Aphrodi wiped off some spilled oil on the edge of the plate with a napkin. “It’s Christmas...I’d like them to try it, too.”

“Oh.” Fubuki stilled, having avoided bringing too much of this up in front of the angel. First was the clash of cultures, but also...just his own reluctance to face his past. He still didn’t know how to bring all of this up to his family but...they must be watching from above. They’d understand. 

“You’re right, it’s not everyday I make fried chicken.” He got up with a soft smile that Aphrodi always tried to encourage. “And anyways, it’s a special day. Let’s introduce you to them.” Taking the lead, he left the living room and walked down the hallway to that special room. Carefully sliding open the doors, the two of them entered the dark room. Fubuki walked to the middle and pulled on the ceiling string, flooding the space with muted yellow light. The small shrine faced him, set carefully in the center of the wall. He turned, expecting to see the angel right on his heels only to find that Aphrodi had stopped at the room threshold.

“Aphrodi? Are you unable to come in?” He hadn’t thought of what an angel might do when faced with a clashing religion. 

“Ah, um, I can, I just didn’t know if I should.” Aphrodi leaned in slightly, knowing that he could enter easily from the one time he had traipsed through by accident. Fubuki laughed and simply waved for him to come forward. Balancing the plate between his hands, he slowly stepped in and stood next to Fubuki. The quiet boy knelt and cleaned off the shrine as he did every time. New incense was lit, wilting flowers removed, and then Aphrodi was motioned to kneel down next to him. 

“Here, we can place it so they can all see and enjoy it here.” Fubuki pulled out a lower table on the shrine and Aphrodi carefully placed the plate on it. Hands free of the burden, he carefully placed them on his lap only to have Fubuki reach over and take one in his own hand. 

“Mom, Dad, Atsuya, this is Aphrodi and he’s my partner.” Fubuki spoke softly but his clear voice rang throughout the room. “He’s not a human, he’s an angel. But he promised to take care of me my whole life and I truly love him.” He hesitated, unsure of whether to continue but felt a gentle squeeze on his hand. Without even looking, he knew Aphrodi was encouraging him, and then he felt a soft brush of feathers on his back. “It’s Christmas today, and we made fried chicken. We wanted to share it with you...I just wanted to let you know, I’m alright now. I have someone at my side now.” 

Incense wafted up from the stick he’d put in, its bittersweet scent settling on them. Some dust motes drifting through the air caught on the yellow light from above, twinkling in front of the three photo frames. A weight seemed to leave his shoulders, yet when he turned it was just a soft angel wing brushing against his back. Aphrodi smiled, tilting his head slightly in question as to what he was to do. 

“I suppose, if you want to talk to them…,” his lover had to show a bit of personality, at least. 

“Ah.” Aphrodi flicked his wings, then turned to face the shrine again. He bowed, head fully downward in acknowledgement before sitting back up again. “Thank you for watching over the two of us. I’ll ensure Fubuki has a happy and healthy rest of his life and take care of him beyond that, too.” 

“So formal,” Fubuki teased, finding it easier to laugh now. 

“What else-?! Of course I am! This is your family!” Aphrodi puffed his feathers, playing with the ends of his hair as he protested. 

“Alright, alright, let’s go enjoy our meal.” Fubuki got up, then held out a hand for Aphrodi to catch onto and pull himself up on. The two of them exited the room after turning off the light, then quickly entered the kotatsu to shield themselves from the winter chill. Aphrodi sat next to Fubuki, both of them facing the TV that was playing Christmas specials. Reindeer ran across the screen as snow fell outside their home. Aphrodi eagerly grabbed at the fried chicken, then deposited the leg on Fubuki’s plate first before reaching back for his own. A white wing was wrapped around Fubuki, a familiar action by now that he barely noticed. 

“Well, Merry Christmas,” Fubuki remarked with a smile as some animated angels paraded across the screen while blowing on trumpets. 

“Merry Christmas, Fubuki! And here’s your gift--” Aphrodi leaned in and gave him a kiss on the lips before even finishing the sentence. “I love you!” 

“I love you too, my own special angel,” his lover responded with a smile as his little bird dug into the freshly fried chicken. He turned his attention to the meal in front of them, enjoying how warm his house was now, regardless of season. There was always someone for him to return to. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Fried Chicken](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/8805/crispy-fried-chicken/) \- This a good recipe.  
> \---
> 
> Thank you everyone who has read this fic! I hope you enjoyed it! It was a very comfortable and fun fic to write, loosely patched together from my rural life memories and sprinkled with a heavy dose of fluff. Not much to say this time, but I hope everyone stays safe and healthy :) Find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/kuroekoo) if you'd like. Otherwise, see you in my next fic! (yeahyeahyeahitsafufubuiknow)


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